


Queen of Hearts

by tiny_maus_boots



Series: The Debt Collector [2]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-03 20:29:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21185537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiny_maus_boots/pseuds/tiny_maus_boots
Summary: Eight months after 'The Debit Collector', Aubrey and Stacie find themselves wondering if they can bring their families together for the next step in their lives.





	1. Full House

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aserenitatum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserenitatum/gifts).

“When you said dinner with your family I didn’t think you meant your entire family tree.”

Stacie looked up from her phone at that and glanced out the window. Lilly pulled the truck up the drive past a row of expensive cars neatly parked by red coated valets. Her stomach dropped as she realized that she was going to be expected to play a certain role at dinner. She should have realized when her mother had made the invitation that something was up but she hadn’t even considered that her parents might have an ulterior motive. Maybe she had just hoped that now, finally eight months after the police had called to tell her Weston’s boat had been found on fire and the charred body found on board was presumed to be his, that the freeze out might have thawed a little.

There had been and investigation and questions, so many questions, and while she had known her family would take a public stand to support her, privately she had felt disowned. They hadn’t outright said she was unwelcome but they hadn’t called or visited, not even to see how she was handling things. So when her mother had called to invite her to dinner she had jumped at the chance rather stupidly. Of course they hadn’t wanted to see her just to see her, they wanted her to be the perfect daughter in the perfect family unit.

“I should have known. We don’t have to do this…”

They could just leave. Lilly could just pull all the way around the drive and take them through an In N Out on the way home. It was so tempting to just…run away. Aubrey’s warm hand covered her own and pulled it into her lap. It was such a simple gesture to create so much peace and she surrounded herself in the comforting feel of knowing Aubrey was by her side.

“We can if you really want to.” There was no judgement in Aubrey’s tone and Stacie leaned into her girlfriend’s side grateful for the support. She would love it if they could go but they were there now and despite the fact that she wanted nothing to do with her father’s political aspirations she knew she had to help represent the family. The blonde slid her arm around Stacie’s shoulders, gently pulling her closer. Lips brushed her temple in a light kiss, her voice taking on an amused husky whisper that caused a shiver to chase down Stacie’s spine. “Or we could go in and find a corner to make out in. Bet you twenty bucks we scandalize at least three people.”

Her lips curved into a smile at the mention of a bet. “Oh baby, I never bet on a sure thing. What’s the fun in that?” Stacie raised a shoulder in a shrug. “But I do love a good scandal so there’s a good chance I’ll take you up on that offer.” She was kidding, but it was nice to know that the option was there.

Aubrey caught her lips in a laughing kiss and suddenly it didn’t matter that she was facing an evening of fake smiles and backhanded compliments. She wouldn’t be facing it alone, those days were long past her now. The car rolled to a slow stop at the front of the house and Lilly got out to open the door for them. Aubrey slid out first, glancing around with an assessing gaze before straightening the jacket of her dark grey pinstripe suit and buttoning it. She turned to hold out a hand and Stacie took it, letting Aubrey guide and steady her out of the backseat.

“Lil, stick with the ride and keep an eye on the package, will ya?”

Lilly nodded and Stacie waved away the approaching valet. Aubrey gave a disbelieving chuckle as she took in the estate and grounds. It was massive and pretentious, exactly the type of house you’d expect from her parents. It wasn’t that she was above living within her very comfortable means but the manse had never really been a home. Then again they had never really been a family. More like puppets going through the motions of living and performing for press.

“Nice place, anything I should know before we get in there?”

“Yeah, don’t trust anyone in there and I love you.”

Aubrey smiled widely at the last part and brought Stacie’s hand to her lips for a soft kiss. She might not be a big talker but she always seemed to let Stacie know exactly how she felt exactly when Stacie needed to know it. They climbed the short flight of stone steps hand in hand and she knew they looked damn good together in their sleek and complimentary monochromatic attire, it was something at least that her mother wouldn’t be able to pick on. The front door opened just as they reached the last step, her mother, a slightly shorter and older version of herself, stood in the frame with a flicker of a frown furrowing her brow. “Anastacia, I didn’t realize you’d be bringing a guest.”

A muscle near the corner of her eye twitched and she resisted the urge to get back in the car after all. It wasn’t so much the words but the disappointed tone under them. Her mother was an artist when it came to conveying so much disdain with the smallest of expressions and a handful of words. “I don’t know why you didn’t, mother. I did tell you I was dating someone when we spoke last.”

The frown smoothed off her mother’s face and a polite if distant smile affixed itself across her features instead. “Yes, I do recall that. I didn’t realize you were still seeing someone.”

Aubrey squeezed her hand lightly and Stacie gave her mother a tired sigh knowing this was simply a precursor to the rest of the night. “We just talked last week.”

“You’ve always had a busy social life dear.”

She felt the shift in Aubrey’s posture, a nearly imperceptible straightening of her spine at the older woman’s implication. Stacie wanted to come back with something sharp but decided it just wasn’t worth it. Not this soon into the evening anyway. The brunette gave a slight shake of her head and let the blank smile of her mask slip into place on her face.

“Aubrey, this is my mother, Helene. Mother, I’d like you to meet Aubrey Posen. My girlfriend.” She wanted to say ‘my girlfriend of nearly a year’ but that would only raise an eyebrow and come with a lot of questions and rebuke later. “We’ve been seeing each other for several months now.”

“I see.” So soon. It didn’t have to be said out loud, Stacie could feel the weight of judgement in those two words like a yoke on her shoulders. “Well, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please do come in, we’re just about to sit for dinner.”

“The pleasure is mine Mrs. Conrad. You have a lovely home.”

“Thank you, Audrey.”

Stacie’s mother gave a curt and brief smile, as if she expected the pleasantry, and led them inside. Aubrey chuckled softly at her mother’s intentional use of another name. It was nothing that could be pointed out easily, Helene would simply say that it was a misunderstanding but in reality it was meant to make Aubrey feel insignificant. So insignificant as to be forgettable already. She opened her mouth to ready to lash out at the woman but Aubrey spoke first.

“It’s Aubrey, ma’am.”

“Excuse me?”

Helene turned to face them both, her measuring eye almost too heavy to stand under. Stacie felt herself start to take a step forward, prepared to get between the two of them, but Aubrey gave her hand a gentle squeeze and presented her mother with a forgiving smile.

“My name. It’s Aubrey.”

“I’m sure that’s what I said.” Her mother’s brow came up in challenge, daring Aubrey to say something further, to call her a liar.

Stacie’s breath hitched at the self-possessed posture that had first drawn her eye to Aubrey as the blonde met the older woman’s gaze. Mild amusement colored her tone, disarming her mother. “I’m sure that it isn’t. It’s alright though, I forgive you.”

Her mother’s eyes gave a slight narrowing as she reassessed Aubrey, taking in the other woman’s quiet confidence with a soft thoughtful hmm. Stacie had to bite her lip to keep from smirking when her mother didn’t know what to say and floundered for a moment. The contest of wills between them was broken and Aubrey had won.

“Yes well you two can sit down at my end of the table.”

Stacie gave a nod of acknowledgement. She was the least of her father’s assets so of course she would be placed at the foot of the table. She didn’t mind that really, it let her be more herself because there was less scrutiny but she knew it was another intentional slight to the both of them. Aubrey seemed to take it in stride as she easily guided Stacie to her seat and tucked in her chair, nodding and smiling graciously at the other dozen or so people seated for dinner. Conversation died down as they settled in and she could feel eyes boring into them.

“Stacie, dear, it’s been so long. Sorry to hear about your…unpleasant situation.” A graceful smile crossed her face and she gave a slight nod to the wife of one of her father’s biggest contributors. The older woman was clearly digging for gossip and in the mixed company they had it would be best to play along. At least a little.

She tipped her head in thought and shrugged lightly as if the last few years of her life with Weston hadn’t been a nightmare. “I was devastated of course, no one is ever prepared for the police to inform them of the death of their spouse.”

“Yes of course, and the…scandal…such a shock. And you didn’t have a clue?”

It took her a second to collect herself at that comment. It wasn’t as if she expected that no one would know, it was everywhere, all over the news, and whispered behind backs at every society event. She had just hoped that she could avoid having to deal with questions, comments, and stares at least in her family home. The whole table hung on their every word and even her father seemed to be interested for once. If only to see how her answer would reflect on him.

“To be honest with you, Weston and I had grown apart. I knew there were other women but I never suspected there was something more to the relationships than just casual appointments.”

Someone snorted softly at the table but when she glanced up she couldn’t tell who had done it. Several glances skittered away from hers and she was sure they likely all suspected that she had known all along. Not about the affairs, that was expected, accepted even. Maybe deep down she had always wondered how badly Weston treated the other women but Stacie hadn’t really known about the deaths. Not until the end but by then she was unsurprised by the truth.

“What a terrible business. I would be a wreck.”

It was another little judgement, but the sting of it didn’t touch her when Aubrey gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table. The smile on her face eased into something more natural when the blonde gave her a quick wink.

“I was, Edith. The reporters and investigators…it was just such a trying time.” Stacie knew better than to try and mention the victims. Her job was to save face while being the source of a scandal and that meant drawing focus from the stark and terrible truth of what kind of monster was among them. Voices rose and fell around them as people quietly picked up their conversations. They were all still listening with sharp ears for anything they could use no matter how suddenly disinterested they seemed. “I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without Aubrey.”

One by one conversations around them dropped off and all eyes drifted toward Aubrey. Stacie chuckled at the stern look her mother cut her and shrugged. They were all bound to ask eventually, it was better to get it all out on the table.

“Oh? It’s nice that you have such a strong…friendship.”

The older woman looked at her expecting her to continue on with the vague reference of what they were to each other. It wasn’t because they were both women, it was simply that none of the guests at the table had any idea who Aubrey was. And if they didn’t know her then she must be no one of worth. That was almost as big a scandal as having a dead husband suspected of murder.

“It’s strengthened by trust, Edith. I guess that’s what makes our relationship so strong. Sweetheart this is Edith Roussard-Ford, Edith this is my girlfriend Aubrey Posen.”

There was a ripple of emotion that traveled through them all. Mostly surprise, some amusement, and of course a few condemning gazes. Snobs. All of them were snobs. Edith cleared her throat and smiled benignly at Aubrey in faux welcome.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance dear.”

Aubrey smoothed her hand down her vest and smiled as she settled herself more comfortably in the chair. “The pleasure is mine. I saw the collection you loaned to The Met last month when I was in the City for business. You have an impressive collection on display.”

“Oh yes! Thank you.” Edith’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward a bit across the table. The older woman seemed charmed despite herself and Stacie flashed an amused grin at her silently watching father. “Oh I just adore the art world. Oh especially on the East Coast. I try to make it home at least twice a year, especially in these dreadful hot winters. Well, really you can’t enjoy a good holiday season anywhere but Manhattan quite honestly. I’m sorry, what did you say you were doing there for business?”

Stacie had to swallow down the laughter at Edith’s nosey prattle, she knew the old girl would eventually get around to more personal details. Aubrey smiled winningly and made a vague gesture with her hand. “I was brokering a deal between two companies for some property assets. It was a special project I was helping a friend with but I have my own varied investments here in California. I guess you could say I’m a bicoastal Jack of all trades.”

Edith laughed in delight at the comment, instantly taking to Aubrey. Her father’s glass thunked heavily on the table and everyone glanced his way. “Jack of all trades. And here I thought you were just a bartender.”

She had thought it had been quiet before but it was nothing to the deep silence of held breaths all around the table. Her father let his disapproval fall like a shroud and the entire party could feel it like a weighty hand. It was the kind of intimidation that only a parent could deliver but Aubrey smiled and gave a slight shrug. She should have expected that he was still keeping tabs on her life even if he wasn’t overly concerned with how she was handling everything.

“Yes, that’s one of my investments, my very first actually. I admit I spend a good bit of my time there, maybe out of sentiment, but it’s my baby and I can manage my other ventures from anywhere.”

Heads turned to her father, his jaw clenched as he worked through his words carefully. “And what other ‘ventures’ do you have?”

It was clear August Conrad had done more than just a little digging when it came to Aubrey and the fact that he was being hostile at an event with company said a lot about his feelings on what he’d learned. Their housekeeper Louisa brought in soup and began to serve. Aubrey waited until Louisa had served them both before bothering to answer her father.

“I suppose you could say I have a diversified portfolio. I dabble in passive income and real estate, I’m a partner in a catering company, a nightclub, and a few other small businesses…I’m always looking for a new revenue stream to tap.”

There wasn’t a nice way of saying that most of Aubrey’s income came from illegal gambling and related crimes but even if there was it wouldn’t change the fact that however much money Aubrey had it wasn’t old money and therefore didn’t matter. August drummed his fingers on the table but let it go when he realized everyone had been served and were waiting on him to begin.

“Thank you Louisa. Friends, I would just like to say that I am grateful to be here with you all, grateful for the support and contributions you all have shown me in my climb up the political ladder, and I’m grateful to my family for always rallying around me in my time of need. Let’s begin shall we?”

It was a beautiful speech but it was generic and far too familiar. He said it at all these dinner parties and Stacie and her mother were always last to be mentioned. She was too old to roll her eyes but the urge to do so was strong for a moment. Small talk dominated the conversations around them through the appetizer and main course and Aubrey politely broke away from speaking with a congressman about horse races so she could lean into Stacie’s shoulder for a gentle bump.

“Hey you.”

“Hey yourself, sorry about my dad. But I’m pretty sure Edi has a crush on you if you’re interested.”

The blonde shrugged and tipped her head to the side and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Sorry Edi, I’m a one woman kind of gal and your dad is just being a dad and looking out for you. I am slightly disreputable after all.”

“No, he’s covering his ass. He isn’t looking out for me he’s looking out for the potential scandal that could drag him down in the polls. And that’s all fine, I’m kind of over it all so when dinner is done let’s make our exit.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I really wanted this to be different and I don’t know why because nothing ever will with them. Now all I want is to go home and get you out of that suit.” Aubrey laughed and bumped her shoulder again playfully. She knew her parents were watching them but it just didn’t matter at all to her what they thought. “Unless you want to hang around for Edith.”

Aubrey made a thoughtful hum sound before lowering her voice again. “Well I do appreciate an older lover so maybe. Hmmm. Nah I’m stupid in love for this girl and she’s all I have eyes for.”

“Oh you’re so getting lucky tonight.” It was said laughingly but only because the swell of love was too much to hide and it left her momentarily embarrassed. Something flashed in Aubrey’s eyes and she stroked her thumb over Stacie’s knuckles.

“Stace, I’ve been lucky since the first night we met. I’ll be lucky the rest of my life as long as I share it with you.”

It wasn’t a proposal. That wasn’t what Aubrey was saying. Stacie knew that it couldn’t be because things with Weston’s death were still being resolved. It was all still so very complicated. And her family was so…disappointing. So she knew Aubrey didn’t mean it the way it sounded but she couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat at thought of a forever with the blonde.

“Oh then we better plan a trip to Vegas.”

It wasn’t until it was out of her mouth that she realized how it sounded. She had meant it to be a joke about gambling but once it was spoken it felt like something more. They sat there, eyes searching, gazing at each other before the moment was broken by August’s harsh derisive chuckle.

“You’d probably like that wouldn’t you, bartender?” Stacie could feel the hot flush of anger creeping up her face because she knew where this was heading. She had thought they had been keeping their voices low enough to not be heard but she had underestimated her August’s attention to them. Her father leaned back in his chair with a condescending smirk. “You’d marry into real money and that’s what you want isn’t it? Tapping a new stream of revenue?”

Distantly she was aware of the clatter of her mother’s fork hitting her plate and the hushed whispers as various guests immediately began gossiping about the scene playing out before them. It made her sick with humiliation and her temper got the better of her.

“Are you seriously implying that Aubrey is a gold digger?” He didn’t say anything but the silence was enough. Stacie scoffed and pushed her chair back a bit from the table. “You know what, dad, I don’t care what you think. I’d marry her tomorrow if she asked.”

Another titter of exclamation around the table and at least one gasp of surprise, likely from her mother, made Stacie glance around. No one would meet her eye but they were all aware of what was happening. Aubrey cleared her throat and gave a slight pout.

“I was hoping for an early spring wedding by the beach but… you have to sign _my_ prenup first.”

Laughter broke out in spatters at Aubrey’s droll tone and the tension in the room dropped perceptibly. People carried on with conversations as they leaned back, relaxed and waited to be served the next course. If he had hoped to provoke Aubrey into a fit of anger, or to shame her into submission, it had backfired. The blonde’s natural charisma and confidence had already earned her some respect from the assembled group but her complete lack of concern in the face of her father’s open hostility had really won people over.

Stacie had never wanted to walk out of somewhere as badly as she wanted to leave her parent’s home right then but she didn’t want to give either of them the satisfaction of having run her off. August’s lip curled before he carefully schooled his features into a bland mask. It was a little too late to pretend he hadn’t caused a scene and it gave her a savage satisfaction to know that things weren’t going according to his plan.

Aubrey took her hand again and everything else faded away. It didn’t matter what anyone thought, she knew how they felt about each other. And even if they never actually got married…this was enough. This was everything.


	2. Queens High

“Home sweet home.” Aubrey waited until the car was completely stopped before she opened the door and slid out. Habit made her scan the area for threats even as she was reaching a hand back into the SUV to help Stacie out. She finished her brief search, sure there was no hidden threat waiting, and smiled as she tugged gently and brought Stacie to her chest as the taller woman eased out of the vehicle. Stacie laughed and slid her arms around the blonde’s neck and Aubrey sighed happily as Stacie’s scent enveloped her. “It’s still early you know. We could go out and do something…”

Stacie shook her head and leaned in closer for a soft kiss. “Nope, you’re the only something I wanna do tonight.”

Far be it from her to argue with a determined woman, Aubrey chuckled at her good fortune and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Oh well if you insist. Why don’t you go upstairs and get comfortable. I’ll grab a couple of glasses and a bottle and join you.”

“You’re brilliant, you know that?”

”Is that the word on the streets?”

The brunette gave the kind of quiet laugh that somehow made the whole world just a little bit softer, easier. Stacie cupped her face in both hands, her thumbs unbelievably soft as they caressed over Aubrey’s cheeks. Her whole life no one had ever looked at her the way Stacie Conrad did. No one had ever touched her with that much honest feeling. No one had ever been that real with her because the lives they lead were a house of cards built on a foundation of lies and deceptions.

There had been plenty of relationships in her past, she hadn’t lacked for physical intimacy. But this was something different, something so much deeper than a girl kept on the side in an apartment she paid for in the NoHo art district. There were promises in Stacie’s touches, forever promises that Aubrey instinctively trusted in. She hadn’t been caught unaware by the kiss at all, had even been expecting the soft caress of Stacie’s lips on her own. But she hadn’t been expecting the swell of emotion so profound and overwhelming she thought she would drown in it.

Stacie’s fingers trailed over her black silk tie, pulling it free of her vest with a playful tug. “Don’t take too long.”

Aubrey took in a deep breath as Stacie turned and walked away with a seductive sway of her hips. Lilly came around the side of the car and closed the back door. Her lips moved in a near silent whisper that she could only just make out.

“You need me to stick around?”

“No, thank you.” Aubrey held out her hand and Lilly placed the truck key fob in it and the small velvet box she’d been guarding carefully all day. She opened the box and stared at the diamond ring nestled inside. Nerves hit her suddenly and she had to lean back against the side of the car for a second afraid that her knees might give out. Aubrey could feel Lilly watching her and she snapped the box closed before jerking herself upright and tucking it away safely in the inner breast pocket of her suit jacket. “I’ll see you in the morning Lil.”

Her right hand man said nothing as usual, opting for a slight nod before ghosting away into the shadow. It wasn’t as though she actually disappeared into shadow but if you weren’t looking directly at her when she moved you might start to wonder. Aubrey took the steps up and into her house. He heels clicked on the tiled floor as she took a detour to the kitchen. It was quiet with only the hum of the fridge to break the stillness of the room. She took her time collecting the two glasses and the bottle of champagne she had set to chill before they’d left for the evening and hoped it would be opened in celebration.

Aubrey passed out of the kitchen and into the living room, stopping at the framed photo of her dad that rested on the mantle. “She’s my end of the world love, Pop. Wish me luck.” She had to swallow past the lump in her throat when she imagined the way he would have pulled her in for a crushing hug of encouragement. He would have loved Stacie, and she would have loved him, Aubrey was sure of it. Her heart gave a dully painful thump at the thought of him missing this huge moment in her life.

She clicked her way upstairs and stopped in the bedroom doorway to watch Stacie as she hung up her dress neatly and turned toward Aubrey wearing only pair of purple and black lace panties and a smile. The blonde’s eyes tracked the length of Stacie’s legs and traced the curve of a hip and a different emotion all together threatened to overwhelm her.

“Hm champagne. Are we celebrating our survival of dinner with my family?” The brunette stalked forward toward Aubrey, her bare feet padding silently on the carpet.

Stacie took the glasses from her hand and Aubrey started to unwrap the cork from the bottle. She shrugged as she twisted and pulled it free with a slight pop. “Hey even small victories should be celebrated with fine things.”

Stacie held up the glasses for her to fill and raised a brow with a teasing smirk. “Aubrey…are you calling me fine?”

She laughed at the innocently batted eyes Stacie threw her way. “Absolutely.” Aubrey raised her glass slightly and touched it to Stacie’s. “But that’s not the only thing I love about you.”

It was out of left field and Stacie’s eyes went wide in surprise at her declaration. Aubrey didn’t quite know what to do with her free hand so she slid it into the pocket of her slacks to keep from nervously clenching it. Nothing in her life had ever been so important nor as dangerous as this one moment was proving to be.

“That first night we met, I couldn’t take my eyes off you, you know. I thought about you constantly for weeks, months even. And just when I figured I would never see you again you strutted into the Bird like you owned the place and everyone in it.” Stacie stayed silent and Aubrey brought her free hand out of her pocket to trace down the other woman’s arm to her wrist, gently placing the brunette’s palm over her heart. “I love that confidence. I love the sweet sleepy way you smile first thing in the morning. I love the way your laugh steals my breath. I love the way you kiss my bruised knuckles and tell me tomorrow will be better on the bad days. I love that you work so hard to make things better for so many people. I just love you Stacie.”

Stacie took Aubrey’s glass and put it down with hers on the dresser before leaning her entire body into the blonde’s. She wrapped her arms around the woman, her hands skating over ribs expanding quickly from heaved breaths. “I love you too. I..”

“Wait. Stace before you say anything I just need you to hear me out.” Stacie gave a quiet nod and Aubrey took a steadying breath. She pulled back only far enough to get the box out of her pocket. “Everything I have, I fought to get and fight now to keep. I fought so hard I had almost forgotten what feeling anything was like and then I met you. I meant what I said before. I’ll be lucky til my dying day if I’ve got you. Will you marry me?”

Aubrey opened the box and turned it toward Stacie to show her the nearly 3 carat Asscher cut diamond engagement ring. There was a silence that made the whole house seem like it was holding its breath. Finally Stacie inhaled and reached tentatively toward the ring. “Aubrey…oh my God…”

“I know it’s soon and things are still complicated. I know my work is hard and your family hates me. I know there are a million reasons to say no and only one good reason to say yes.”

Stacie pulled back a little, her gaze drawn from the ring to Aubrey’s face. “Only one? What reason is that?”

“You love me too.”

It was the only reason Aubrey needed really. She had been nervous about how this moment would go. It wasn’t that she was afraid Stacie would say no because there wasn’t love between them. She knew that there was. It was more having to put all her cards on the table and show her full hand. It made her a kind of vulnerable she could never afford around anyone else because she didn’t trust anyone like she trusted Stacie.

“With every breath I take. Yes, I’ll marry you. ”

Her lips quirked up in the corners at that, a tension she didn’t realize she’d been holding rolled off her shoulders. Stacie eased the ring out of the box and Aubrey helped her slip it on. Stacie let out a squeal of excitement and pulled her face close for a series of exuberant kisses that eventually melted to something deeper and more demanding.

They had to talk about things. She knew that. But the way Stacie’s hands slipped under her jacket to push it off her shoulders made her forget anything that could possibly try get between them. Tomorrow would deal them new cards to play with, but for that night they were the winning hand.


	3. Under the Gun

“I know it’s soon and things are still complicated. I know my work is hard and your family hates me. I know there are a million reasons to say no and only one good reason to say yes.”

There were a lot of things going on in her head at the moment and none of them had anything to do with Aubrey’s work, or her family, or even Weston and all of the complexity and drama of the ongoing investigation. She was still lost in the play of light in Aubrey’s eyes and the way the blonde woman’s lips moved when she spoke, even the nervous twitch of her hand clenching in her pocket. Stacie took in every little detail as Aubrey’s words settled over her.

“Only one? What reason is that?”

She had a million reasons why she wanted to say yes so she couldn’t imagine there being just one single good reason to marry Aubrey. It wasn’t just the way Aubrey moved, or spoke. It wasn’t just the way she owned the space she was in, or how well she wore a suit. It definitely didn’t have anything to do with how much money the blonde had or the dangerous way she made it. It was the way Aubrey made her feel. Desired, loved, precious. Safe. Aubrey made her feel safe in a way she had never felt before. She didn’t have to pretend to be anything or anyone to survive, it was _safe _to just be herself.

“You love me too.”

Okay it was a pretty good reason and her heart felt so full she was afraid it would burst in her chest. On just about anyone else that line would have come off as a cocky boast. But somehow coming from Aubrey it was honest and oddly vulnerable. She did love Aubrey, and she couldn’t imagine her life with anyone else. She had thought that knowing they were together had been everything but now knowing that Aubrey wanted to spend the rest of their lives together… Stacie didn’t have words for how much that meant to her. 

“With every breath I take. Yes, I’ll marry you. ”

It was the truth, she loved Aubrey like she had never loved anyone else before. Her eyes dropped down to the ring as she removed it from the box with a slightly trembling hand. The diamond caught the light and flashed brilliantly. She would have been happy with a plastic Cracker Jack ring but it was pretty clear that Aubrey had spent serious money on it. It was beautiful and the weight felt settling as Aubrey slipped it on her finger.

The moment was too much and all of her feelings came out in an exuberant squeal as she pulled Aubrey into a kiss. Her hands trailed up the front of the other woman’s vest and shirt to slide under her jacket at the shoulders. Aubrey’s muscles shifted and the jacket spilled off her to puddle on the floor. Stacie hummed softly into their kiss, her fingers nimbly unbuttoning the row of vest buttons to get to the crisp black shirt. The blonde shrugged out of the vest quickly, hands unknotting her tie with practiced motion.

Stacie grabbed the ends of it, loving the smooth soft feel of the silk as it as she tugged them toward the bed. Aubrey’s hands were everywhere on her body, igniting little fires everywhere nails grazed lightly over skin as she tugged Stacie’s underwear down her legs. She stepped out of them, the backs of her thighs bumped against the mattress and she fell back into bed.

Aubrey gazed down at her, the hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she undid her slacks and let them fall to the ground with her underwear leaving her only in a bra and her unbuttoned shirt. Stacie’s breath caught as she let her eyes roam up the length of the blonde’s toned body as she crawled on the bed and straddled Stacie’s hips. Something darker flickered in Aubrey’s eyes and she leaned down, propping her weight on hands placed on either side of Stacie’s head. The dark linen shirt fell open and she immediately reached out greedily stroke her hands along the other woman’s ribs.

“Stacie…”

She waited for whatever Aubrey was planning on saying to come out but nothing did. Deep down she knew what the hesitation to speak was. She knew they had been putting off saying the one thing they both needed to acknowledge. Aubrey had to hear the words and she knew in her heart of hearts that she had to say them to make it real for both of them.

“Aubrey, I know. I know what this life can be like.”

After what they had been through with Weston…she knew exactly what type of life she was signing up for. One day her life could end for something Aubrey did. One day Aubrey’s life could end for something Aubrey had done. And those situations would likely be merciful compared to years in prison for either of them.

“You know but you don’t know. Not really, Stacie. Peeking around the curtain is not the same as…”

“Burying the body?”

Aubrey gave her a soft chuckle and shook her head. “Yeah. But don’t worry, I’d never ask you to bury anyone. I got a guy with a backhoe for that.”

She knew Aubrey was actually serious and she knew that Aubrey was waiting for her reaction to the halfway joked statement. Stacie let the comment hang, testing out her feelings on it before she shrugged. Her fingers trailed along the lacy bottom edge of Aubrey’s bra.

“If you want me to shocked, I’m not. If you want me to be horrified…I’m not.”

“But are you scared?”

She could feel the weight in the question, could feel how deeply it mattered to Aubrey. Stacie reached up with one hand to cup the other woman’s jaw in her palm. The blonde tipped her head into the touch but her gaze stayed on Stacie.

“Am I scared of you? No, never. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me. Am I scared of the potential for horrible things to happen? Yeah, of course I am. I’m not naïve Bree, I know things can get out of hand and everything can go wrong in the blink of an eye but I’m not going to spend every waking moment waiting for something bad to happen. Good or bad, right or wrong…I just want to be with you Aubrey. Always.”

Aubrey closed the distance between them to catch Stacie’s lips in a kiss that left her breathless and needy. Her hips rolled up in a desperate attempt to get closer, every part of her aching with the need to touch and be touched. Stacie broke the kiss first, hands insistent as they nudged and tugged at Aubrey’s thighs to get her to move up toward the headboard. They moved together, Stacie raising her head far too eager to lick, kiss and taste all of Aubrey. The tall brunette moaned with the first broad stroke of her tongue through Aubrey’s slick folds.

Her hands clutched convulsively at Aubrey’s thighs, her own hips lifting and rolling in time to the slow undulating rock of Aubrey against her lips. She was lost in the quietly sighed moans and the gentle creak the wooden headboard gave when Aubrey tightened her grip on it, lost to the taste and feel of the other woman as they built a steady rhythm together. So lost she could only press her own thighs tightly together to try and ease the pulsing throb of need between her legs.

She was swept up in the current of quickening cries and frantic movements, ready to drown in the overwhelming feel of the moment. Stacie raised her head again, delving as deeply as she could, loving the whimper that followed. It was heady knowing she could break that cool, collected façade that held back the real Aubrey. Stacie got all the parts of Aubrey that the world would never get to know because Aubrey _trusted_ her. The truth of that dragged her closer to the edge, making her writhe under the other woman.

Stacie brought one of her hands down from Aubrey’s thigh to slide down her own belly. Fingertips stroked lightly through her own wet heat and a moan echoed out of her and vibrated through Aubrey who gasped and ground down harder against her tongue. There was a brief moment of disappointed confusion when Aubrey lifted off her to shift and turn, giving her a view of the length of Stacie’s body. Tendrils of fire raced along her skin at the feel of the blonde’s warm breath against her hip. The ends of Aubrey’s soft hair tickled over her thigh and Stacie thought there might be a real chance that she would lose her mind before she was even touched.

She could hear her heart beating erratically, banging against her chest an odd staccato that seemed somehow distant and loud at the same time. Aubrey tried to lift her body, stopping a hairsbreadth away from where she was so desperately needed. Stacie squirmed and tugged Aubrey down closer but the banging was back and louder than before, so loud she was sure that she wasn’t the only one to hear it.

“Stace…wait…”

The words were audible, she knew what they meant but she still didn’t understand them. Stopping was the very last thing she wanted to do. She gave a small growl, lifting her head to chase Aubrey as she tried to lift up and off her again.

“No…”

“The door, it’s…oh Jesus.” They struggled for another moment, Aubrey trying to get free and Stacie doing everything in her power to keep the other woman right where she wanted her. Aubrey managed to push up from the bed but her elbows gave out when Stacie thrust her tongue back into her at a frantic pace. Aubrey was right at the edge and she just needed one more second…

The door to the room burst open hard to slam against the wall and bounce closed again. Stacie jumped at the crash of sound, struggling to drag herself to awareness. The door kicked back in again and before she could process it she was rolled off the edge of the bed, Aubrey’s weight heavy on her chest.

“Christ…do you two ever not have sex?” Aubrey growled and sat up, hand wrapped around the handle of her gun. “Whoa…don’t shoot the messenger.”

“Mitchell…what the fuck are you doing in my house?”

Everything was moving too quickly and she was still trying to play catch up. Her body twitched involuntarily when Aubrey nudged her accidentally. She wanted to sit up and see what was going on but the rational part of her brain was equal parts terrified and mortified.

“Yeah you weren’t answering you phones. Do I want to know where you were hiding that gun? No? Okay well get dressed because in about 6 minutes the Feds are going to be all up your ass.”

That stopped the freight train of lust dead in its tracks. Aubrey looked down at her and sighed. Stacie bit her lip to keep the insane giggle from tumbling out. Well. She did say she knew what she was in for, she just didn’t expect to have to be confronted by it so soon. Aubrey jerked her head at the door and Stacie could hear the detective walk out and shut it closed behind her.

There were no words to fill the silence with, each of them teetering on the edge of saying something. Finally Stacie gathered herself up and stood, holding a hand out to Aubrey. Maybe they didn’t really need to say anything about it. They were a team and they’d deal with this like everything else. Aubrey’s fingers were warm where they grasped hers and she couldn’t resist a teasing chuckle.

“Where _did_ you hide that gun?”


	4. Playing Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. pneumonia is a bitch. I'm better now.

Six minutes wasn’t a whole lot of time to get dressed let alone anything else no matter how her body throbbed uncomfortably. Aubrey buttoned a fresh pale lavender shirt and tucked it into her slacks with crisp movements. She couldn’t help the way her gaze kept drifting to Stacie even though she had pressing concerns she needed to be focusing on. Aubrey opted to forgo the vest and tie and shrugged on a navy blue jacket so dark it almost looked black. She could have gone for casual being that she was in her own home but her suits were her uniform and her armor. Aubrey was a different woman under the mantle of expensive Italian tailoring and she needed to be that person when facing federal agents.

“Is Beca going to get in trouble?” Aubrey blinked and raised a questioning gaze at Stacie. “Because right now it looks like she tipped you off about the federal agents coming here.”

The question pulled her attention away from the length of Stacie’s long toned leg and she sighed as she slipped into a pair of wingtip heels. “It doesn’t look great, no. Knowing Mitchell the way I do I would guess she has an answer for any question that comes up, though.”

Stacie pulled on a warm cashmere sweater over her leggings before frowning at Aubrey. “How do you know that?”

“Because she always does. That kid could lie her way out of the devil’s basement.” She had never met anyone that could be bullshit the way Beca Mitchell could. It made her dangerous to bet against and more often than not Aubrey would fold rather than call the detective’s bluff. She reached out and took Stacie’s hand as they wandered from the closet to bedroom and out into the hall. “Listen, Stace. I don’t want you to worry. They’re gonna ask me some questions, go through my things maybe, and leave. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. Just be ready to call my lawyer for me just in case.”

They were halfway down the stairs when the knock on the front door came. It was forceful and demanding in the way all cops knocked. Detective Mitchell pushed off from the wall she was leaning against. Their eyes met and Aubrey gave the other woman a brief nod before closing the distance to the door and pulling it open. She had been prepared for feds, had even been prepared for a lot of them, but she hadn’t been prepared for this particular federal agent standing on her front step.

The pinched faced brunette in an off the rack and ill-fitting women’s pant suit and matronly black pumps gave her a smugly superior look at the surprised look on her face. They stared at each other for a long moment before the politely smiling man at her side cleared his throat. Aubrey took in everything about him, from the boyishly innocent smile to the slight apologetic roll of his shoulders. The air of innocence was such a strong contrast to the woman’s pugnacious energy that it threw Aubrey off balance for a moment.

The blonde recovered quickly and let the familiar cool mask of her poker face slide into place. ”More uninvited guests, must be my lucky night.”

The other woman’s face twisted and she pushed past Aubrey into the house with an air of aggressive authority. She stepped back gestured inside as if she’d actually invited the agents in instead of letting them force their way in. Both agents stopped short when they caught sight of Detective Mitchell, each of them raising suspicious brows at her presence.

“Detective Mitchell, I wish I could say I’m surprised to see you here. Let me guess, you were just in the neighborhood? Thought you’d give your pal Posen the heads up about the agents headed her way?”

Beca rolled her eyes and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. Every small gesture was laced with barely contained irritation and utter disdain. “Actually I was conducting an interview for my murder investigation. Which you are now impeding and obstructing.”

“Right, because your little case outweighs federal jurisdiction?” 

“Yeah I dunno that I’d call MURDER a little case but okay. Go off then.”

It was just enough of a clue for Aubrey to go on and she shut the door firmly to get everyone’s attention. “Does someone want to tell me why a homicide detective and two federal agents are having a pissing contest in my foyer?”

“We’re sorry. Uh we, I uh apologize Miss Posen. I’m Agent Applebaum and this is Agent…”

“Alice Esposito. I know who she is. We go way back, you and me, don’t we Ali-cat?”

“_Agent _Esposito.”

Aubrey smirked at getting a rise out of the other woman but gave a nod of acknowledgement. “Okay _Agent, _what the hell do you want from me?”

“I just wanted to ask you a few questions, but we can make this a more formal interview downtown if you like.”

Aubrey didn’t like the glimmer of glee in Alice’s eyes. It was the idea of marching the blonde into the station after all these years that had her riding in on her high horse and it made Aubrey want to knock her down a peg or two. “Sure we can go downtown. If you have a warrant.” The corner of her mouth pulled slightly in a mocking smirk. “_Do_ you have a warrant for my arrest? You know those are tricky things to get. Being that they require proof of wrongdoing so you don’t finger the wrong man. So to speak.”

Agent Esposito’s eyes narrowed and it only made Aubrey’s smirk grow. Truthfully she was hoping that Alice would lose her temper and say or do something she would regret in front of so many witnesses but the other woman seemed to sense her endgame and clenched her jaw tight to keep from saying anything else. The other agent gave a brief smile but it wavered with uncertainty under the weight of the tension between his partner and her.

“There’s no need for lawyers, we’re here to talk nothing more.” His tone was soft, conciliatory even but there was something under the words that made her re-evaluate him. Yes he was green and inexperienced, yes he seemed surprisingly honest despite the viper pit he worked in, and yes he even seemed to be as boyishly innocent as he looked. But there was something there, something more. She made a mental note to have Happy look into him in the morning before giving him a slight jerk of her head.

“Fine, let’s make this quick. I have plans.”

Aubrey turned slightly and caught sight of Stacie eyeing her curiously, her fiancée’s gaze drifting over to Alice with an unreadable expression. There was a flash of something possessive in Stacie’s eyes before she smiled graciously and stepped forward to slip her arm into Aubrey’s. “Why don’t we all have a seat in the living room?” It might have been phrased as a question with perfect and polite intonation but it definitely was a command and Aubrey felt like the fly in the spider’s parlor as she followed at Stacie’s side to lead the agents and Detective Mitchell further into the house.

Beca had remained quiet so far but Aubrey didn’t trust it. Just like she didn’t trust the amused grin plastered on the smaller woman’s face as she plopped herself down on the couch and gazed back and forth between Alice and Aubrey. It was clear she was content watching the show and for a second Aubrey kind of hated her for it.

Alice perched on the very edge of the sofa as if allowing herself the luxury of sitting fully on it was somehow too much association with Aubrey. The offense at the disrespect it showed warred with the amusement of watching Alice trying to maintain her composure. Her attention was pulled away from Agent Esposito when Stacie’s warm weight settled in at her side, leaning into her body casually.

Aubrey turned her head slightly to watch Stacie cross one leg over the other gracefully before taking her hand. She had never been one for physical demonstrations of affection outside the bedroom, though in all fairness it was probably because she had never really been in love before. Now however, it came so easily she didn’t realize she was doing it.

Agent Applebaum pulled out a notebook and a pen and glanced to Beca. “Detective, you were here when we arrived, would you like to interview Miss Posen first?”

Beca shook her head with a barely contained snort of amusement and leaned further back on the couch, reclining with her hands behind her head. “Nah I’m good.”

He blinked at her for a moment then nodded and glanced to his partner. Alice had her eyes pinned to Stacie and Aubrey linked hands, her focus unnerving in its intensity. “Right. I’ll just…start.” He was uncomfortable but soldiered on bravely. “Miss Posen, do you own a small yacht?”

She had expected a soft question to warm up but he went right for the meat of the visit and it took her a second to consider her answer. “I do.” It wasn’t something she could hide, the yacht was registered in her name and she paid the dock fees from her personal bank account. It wasn’t a secret so she didn’t see the harm in answering in the affirmative. “Why?”

“We have reason to believe it may have been used in the commission of a crime.” Alice pinned Aubrey with a stare and raised her brow. Her tone clipped and a hair too loud where Applebaum’s had been easy and quiet. “When was the last time you took her out?”

Stacie shifted slightly in her spot, more of her body leaning into Aubrey. The blonde gave them a challenging stare. “Last weekend. Is that suddenly against the law?”

It wasn’t the answer they were looking for and her ricocheted question put them on the defensive but Alice pressed on. “How about a few months ago? Say maybe…8 or 9 months. You take your boat out then?”

Aubrey gave a scoffing laugh and shook her head. “Maybe but unless you’re asking something real specific…I just can’t bring anything to mind. Sorry.”

The agents looked at each other, silently communicating their next step before they turned back to her. Alice couldn’t quite keep the sneer off her face when she spoke. “How about the morning of May 17th? You remember taking your boat out then?”

She didn’t give either of them the satisfaction of flinching but her stomach sank. They were nosing around a case that was supposed to be closed already. Beca stirred on the couch and sat up with an interested cant to her head as she eyed the federal agents. Stacie’s fingers flexed in hers.

“I tell you what Posen, you don’t have to think too hard on it. I have an eye witness that can place you and your boat at the scene that day.”

The scene. Aubrey narrowed her eyes at the phrasing of the statement. She hadn’t said ‘at the marina’ or ‘on your boat’. She had said ‘at the scene’. There was only one person that could place her at the scene of anything. Except he was supposed to be dead.

Stacie sat up straighter and sighed. “This is an interrogation and I’ll tell _you_ what Agent Esposito, if you really want to continue this I suggest you set up an interview with our attorney. In the meantime…get the hell out.”

The corner of her lips quirked when Alice frowned in mild confusion. The other woman’s muddy brown eyes drifted over Stacie, taking her in with a critical glance. But her assessment stopped at the glinting diamond on the taller woman’s finger. Several emotions twitched over the agent’s face but she gathered her composure and stood when her partner did.

Detective Mitchell didn’t have to be told to leave, it wouldn’t look good if she stayed. Almost as if she read Aubrey’s mind the homicide detective looked over her shoulder as she retrieved her motorcycle helmet from the front hall.

“This isn’t over Posen, I’ll be back and next time I’ll be picking this place through. Hear me?”

“Don’t make me have to put a restraining order on you, Mitchell.”

Applebaum and Esposito turned to see Beca whirl, her back to them as she stalked forward dangerously. The menace of the moment was ruined by the barely contained laugh on the cop’s face. Aubrey had to hand it to her, Beca’s tone didn’t belie the humor in her expression.

“Let me make this real clear Posen, nothing, not one goddamned thing, is going to stop me from continuing my investigation. I don’t let anyone bully me and I’m not scared of you.”

The Detective turned on a heel and stomped out the front door, brushing past the two agents watching them. It had all been for show, a misdirection to keep the feds guessing. But it rang true and Aubrey wondered if it was because nothing Beca had said had actually been a lie. It was a skilled bluff and she admired the play and the way it was delivered. She really had to give that kid a raise.

Aubrey leaned against the edge of the open door, one hand in the pocket of her slacks, everything about her posture indicating that she wasn’t threatened in the slightest. “See ya around Alicat.” A tremor of repressed rage ran through the short woman and she turned to toss Aubrey an ugly glare before she yanked open the door to a black SUV and shoved herself inside of it.

She gave a snort of amusement and pulled back to shut the door. Aubrey threw the lock and set the alarm quickly, sealing them off from the rest of the world. When she turned around Stacie was standing by table in the center of the large foyer, her expression unreadable. Something felt wrong and she raised her brow in question.

“What?”

“You want to tell me what that was all about?”

Oh. The blonde hung her head and let out a breath. It wasn’t going to be an easy conversation and she wondered how Stacie would look at her after she explained herself. It had been a long time ago but she didn’t feel badly about any of it.

“I knew her from before. We went to the same Catholic school back East. We were friends until I moved to California when I was fourteen. Figured I’d never see her again and honestly I hadn’t thought much about her. Then awhile back, when I was starting to make a name for myself, she walks back into my life. Right into the Dirty Bird.”

It had been clumsy and heavy handed. They should have drawn it out, had them bump into each other casually in a neutral location. They should have made it look like a chance meeting rather than a blunt attempt to force a reunion. It had made Aubrey suspicious immediately but she played the game as expected. Reminiscing and flirting the night away as if she had actually took Alice at face value.

“I had some of my people look into her, her jacket came back exactly what she’d told me. Petty theft, ran with a rough crowd, couple of arrests for prostitution. It was too manufactured, didn’t feel right. So I tapped a different network to get more information.”

Stacie crossed her arms and raised both brows, voice hushed. “The mob?”

“Nah, the vecchie signore at Saint Sebastian’s. Those old birds know everything and all it cost me was a box of cannoli and an afternoon dodging blind dates with grandsons and great nephews.”

She could tell the answer amused Stacie but the other woman wasn’t quite ready to let go of her anger just yet. Her arms did uncross and the frown smoothed out from her brow. “So? What’d you find out?” Stacie was curious as much about Alice as the agent was likely to be about her. “We’re going to come back to this afternoon of old lady gossip later by the way.”

“I found out she was a fed working white collar. I figured she was on to me for laundering, I was getting a little too loose with my game. But I knew what she wanted and I knew if I didn’t give her something I wasn’t going to have time to extricate myself from everything. So I pursued her. Aggressively. We dated and I let her hear just enough to make her think I trusted her.”

“You fucked her.”

She had hoped that she could gloss right past that point but it was clear Stacie wasn’t going to let that happen. Aubrey hadn’t been proud of herself, it wasn’t some fucking game. It was survival. She had done it because it was necessary.

“Look, it was business. It had to look real, Stacie.”

“Her? Really?? What else did you do Aubrey? Might as well get it all out now.”

Whatever goodwill she had bought herself earlier vanished as Stacie bristled with jealousy. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly trying to remain calm. Stacie had questions and Aubrey wanted to be honest with her because she trusted her and didn’t want to start a life together built on lies.

“I fed her misinformation, implicated a well-known councilman that had absolutely nothing to do with the business. I dropped hints and fed her lies for months.”

“Months? You were fucking her for months?” Stacie gave a short unhappy chuckle. “How long were you together?”

“About a year. It took them a long time to build a case and Alice was starting to chomp at the bit. This was gonna make her career if she pulled me and my entire network down. She got too eager and managed to get a warrant for the councilman. It was…highly publicized.”

“But she had the wrong guy.”

Aubrey nodded and shrugged. “By the time she recovered from that misstep I had shut the operation down. I walked away clean and she had nothing. I fucked her career and now she’s trying to get back at me.”

“Jesus Aubrey.” Stacie threw her hands up and paced away from the table. “A fucking year. Did you have feelings for her?”

The idea of it was so foreign that Aubrey could only shake her head for a second. “No!”

“Really? Because I’m not so sure “Ali-cat” got the fucking memo. Seriously? Fingering the wrong man? What the fuck Aubrey?”

Okay. She had to admit that maybe she shouldn’t have poked the bear in front of Stacie. But Aubrey honestly wasn’t flirting. Maybe digging the knife in would be a better way to describe it.

“Stace I swear…I was just fucking with her. I wanted to get under her skin.”

The tall brunette pulled her forward by the lapels of her jacket until they were nose to nose, anger sparking in the depths of her green eyes. “That better be the only thing you want to get under. If you’re with me, you’re with only me.”

Stacie pushed her away and took a step back but Aubrey reached out and grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. “I could be in a room full of people but all I see is you. You got me Stace and I got you.” Aubrey brought their lips together in a searing kiss. There was only one person for her and that was Stacie, she couldn’t give a fuck about Alice Esposito and never really had. “Whatever that was before…it’s done.”

“It better be.” She was pushing Aubrey on purpose to get a reaction out of her. She wanted to be sure she had the blonde’s full attention. “I’m not fucking around.”

Aubrey growled and pressed forward making Stacie back into the table. The vase on top with fresh flowers wobbled slightly at the impact but she didn’t care. Long legs wrapped themselves around her waist as she lifted Stacie onto the table. She swept her arm out to knock the vase out of the way to give them room. It toppled to the floor with a crash but she didn’t care, she’d get another one.

Stacie pushed the jacket off her shoulders and yanked open her shirt to send buttons flying in different directions. Hands already roaming every inch of bare skin they could find. There was a desperate urgency in their kisses, the dull throb of their previous desire roaring to life like a wildfire. She was only too happy to claim and be claimed by Stacie, as many times as it took to hammer the point home. Stacie’s body rolled against hers in a slow undulating wave and she smiled. And she was betting that would be an all night affair. 


	5. Ace High

“Wait wait wait. You telling me that Aubrey used to get down with this chick?”

Stacie nodded and took a sip of wine as she flipped through another bridal magazine. Everything seemed so extravagant and dated. She gave a sigh and tossed the magazine aside so she could try another. “Apparently. She was undercover at the time.” Cynthia Rose shook her head with a laugh and took a deep hit off a joint before holding it out to her. Stacie declined with a vague roll of her shoulder. “Nah, thanks. With the feds lurking I’d better not. I have the feeling Agent Esposito would just _love _to catch me at something, anything.”

She flipped another page while her friend mulled that over. She knew it was only a matter of time before one or both of them were arrested. Aubrey acted like she wasn’t bothered but Stacie was starting to get a little nervous. Cynthia Rose watched her carefully from the loveseat.

“You think because of what happened to Wes or because she still wanna hit it?”

The thought made Stacie’s nose crinkle and she shook her head. “Gross but accurate on both counts. With a healthy dose of revenge since the whole thing fucked her career.” She didn’t hold Aubrey responsible for that. That woman had chosen to alert the media, had chosen to get a warrant before she had proof and had made a fool of herself. As far as Stacie was concerned that was all on Alice not Aubrey.

“So then what are you going to do? You and Aubrey gonna bounce? I hear there’s no extradition in Djibouti.”

Stacie stopped at a picture of a woman in an ornate gown with long embroidered train and sighed. It was everything she didn’t want. Her eyes flicked up to catch CR smiling innocently at her.

“You just wanted to say Djibouti didn’t you?”

The other woman was caught with a lungful of smoke and the amused snicker quickly turned into a choking wheeze. Stacie laughed and reached out to take the joint and stub it out in the ashtray while her friend doubled over expelling puffs of smoke with each wracking cough. When she was able to get herself under control she slumped back into the seat and sighed.

“Damn Stace. For real though, what are you gonna do?”

That was the question wasn’t it? She shifted on her seat and held the open magazine out to Cynthia Rose who took it and looked over the dresses she had selected. They were simple fitted sleeveless tunic style dress with full length skirt.

“For now? Plan a wedding. Keep working with my charities. I don’t know…just keep living I suppose. What about this but in coral?”

“The dress is tight but coral? Hm, I don’t know about that color.”

Stacie looked at the dress again and gave a slow agreeing nod. Maybe coral wasn’t the right color for any dress. She wasn’t seriously worried about the investigation, just mildly worried. But she was willing to put it aside for something bigger, something like her wedding. The wedding she had always wanted instead of the one she had been forced to have. It made her giddy and just a little reckless with some of her choices. Stacie held the magazine out again at another dress, a mermaid cut monstrosity with skirting full of ruffled tulle.

“Fuchsia?”

“Look Ima let you know right now that just because I look good in every color does not mean I should be forced to _wear_ every color. And what’s this? We in the 80s all of a sudden? I’m telling you this whole thing is one bad choice away from Jersey mob chic.”

Stacie tipped sideways on the couch, one arm around her belly as she laughed. It felt fucking fantastic to release some of that underlying tension she was still feeling. Cynthia Rose stretched out with her own magazine on the loveseat. Stacie laid there for a second before sitting up right again and picking up her discarded magazine.

“Don’t let Aubrey hear you say that.”

“What? Mob chic?”

“No, Jersey.” Cynthia Rose cut her a quick look then full on giggled. Stacie bit her lip to keep from laughing as she continued to flip through pages that she dismissed almost instantly. “You’re so easy to amuse when you’re stoned.”

“You jealous?”

“Yes.” Obviously. And apparently for more than just weed. Stacie felt herself blush at the sudden rush of sensory overload that the memory of Aubrey taking her roughly on the foyer table produced. “Okay do you really think part of Esposito’s motivation is…you know. Getting back with Aubrey? Like…”

CR gave her a mild look and raised one shoulder in a shrug. “I mean. You ain’t ever heard of revenge fucking? That shit is lit.” Stacie narrowed her eyes as she processed all of that information. “And I’m not saying I checked your girl out but I got eyes. Aubrey fine as hell. So. I don’t know, you tell me. Would you still be trying to get all up in that?”

“I hate you so much right now.” Not really, not even a little. Stacie threw a pillow at the other woman but CR easily snagged it out of the air and used it to prop herself up. “Assuming you’re right, so what? Just because she might want to fuck Aubrey doesn’t mean Aubrey wants to fuck her. I have nothing to worry about.” And even saying it she knew the words were right and she had complete faith in Aubrey. That wasn’t even really a concern.

_But it still bugged her._

“I know that shit bugs you.”

“It _DOES_ bug me!” Stacie nodded her agreement and reached out for her forgotten glass of wine. “I’m not even going to lie about it. They had a thing for a year.”

“What does Aubrey say about it?”

“Nothing. That it was business and there weren’t any feelings attached.” Her best friend gave her a look and she sighed and nodded. “No I do believe her on that. Even if there had been something at one time, there isn’t now. I just don’t like the idea that this woman is out there ready to jump right back in bed with my fiancée.”

“You say that like this bitch is outside hiding in the bushes or some shit.”

The front door opened and they both leaned to the side, craning their necks to see down the hall. Ashley, CR’s girlfriend strolled in with take-out bags full of Western Wok Chinese. She smiled widely at Stacie as she placed the bags on the kitchen counter.

“Who’s outside hiding in the bushes?” The petite brunette paused to kiss Stacie on the cheek before making her way to the loveseat to settle in with Cynthia Rose. “Are you talking about those cops across the street?”

Stacie sighed and shook her head. “No that’s just Happy. Aubrey says I should have a driver so I can enjoy my time with my friends. Really I think she just wants me to have a bodyguard…”

“No, I know about Happy. She’s in the truck playing Angry Birds. There are some cops outside across the street about three houses down. They look like feds to me.”

“How you know what federal agents look like?”

Ashley shrugged and picked up a magazine to look at a few dog eared pages. “Please they all have that sad air that’s a mixture of cult worship and superiority. They tip for shit too.”

Cynthia Rose turned to look at Stacie and blinked. All she could do was raise her shoulder in a shrug and make a vague ‘I told you so’ gesture. She hadn’t actually thought there would be agents outside or following her around but apparently so. Her friend got up from the loveseat and walked out to the front of her house. Stacie followed the other woman walked to the end of the drive and looked down the street first one way then the other.

“Are they out here?”

Happy got out of the Escalade and wandered to the edge of the drive with her usual smile in place. “Looking for the feds?”

“You knew they were there?” Of course she did. Stacie knew it was a stupid question the second it fell from her lips. “How long?”

“Since we left home. I figured you knew and if you didn’t, why worry you?” It was reasonable enough of an answer and Stacie was oddly reassured by how unperturbed Happy seemed. The blonde turned toward the parked black unmarked SUV across the street and waved.

Like magic it pulled away from the curb with a screech of wheels and roared up the street to pull up alongside them facing opposite of traffic. Agent Esposito was at the wheel and she lowered her window to give them all a hard stare down.

“Hey Ali. Long time no see huh?” Happy’s amicable small talk made them all turn to stare at the woman. She didn’t seem intimidated when she waved to the other agent sitting in the passenger seat. “You guys hot out there? It looks hot. You’re a little bit sweaty.”

“Shut it, slutbag.” Happy shut up immediately, the smile never left her face but something hard and angry glittered in her eyes for a moment. Alice turned her gaze away from Happy and pinned Stacie with it. “You having fun? Enjoying your life of leisure? You know that’s all going end for you when I bring your thug girlfriend down.”

Stacie had to resist the urge to say or do something her mother would disapprove of. That would just play into their hands. “Agents Esposito and Applebaum. Of course. Don’t you have something better to do like…catch actual criminals?” A snort broke the tense silence between them and they both turned to Cynthia Rose.

“Her? Really?”

Stacie cleared her throat and held in the amused chuckle. “Let’s go back inside, you too Happy. Let these guys get back to collecting tax payer money to sit on their asses.”

Cynthia Rose laughed and started back toward the house with a backward glance at the car. Alice’s face was a contorted with rage as she watched them walk away. They were inside the house again before CR jerked her thumb back at the car outside.

“That’s who you’re bugged about? Girl please.” She dropped herself back onto the loveseat with Ashley and reached out to pick up her lighter and joint. Ashley leaned over to light a candle sitting on the end table. “Yeah she wants to hit it.”

“Who?” Ashley took the joint from Cynthia Rose with both brows raised in question. Stacie shook her head at them as she started to open up the bags of take out. She really didn’t want to answer that question because it would be an acknowledgement of something she wasn’t ready to deal with.

“That lady agent watching us. She used to go with Aubrey but shit went bad and now she’s trying to fuck with them.”

“Her? Really?”

“Right? Stacie over here trippin’ on that.”

“Oh honey…no….”

It was said in the casual way a couple discusses mutual friends and Stacie had to smile at it. Cynthia Rose had always had girls around but they had always been here one moment and gone the next. All of them as insignificant and disposable as the last and none of them at all familiar enough with CR’s likes and dislikes to order the exact right items from the exact right restaurant. None of them familiar enough with her to tease and joke. Ashley was special.

Ashley was the one for Cynthia Rose and Stacie couldn’t be happier about it. “I know! I know. It’s dumb and I’m fully aware.”

Ashley smiled and waved Stacie back to the couch with her container of orange chicken. “Okay so let’s talk about something really important. Bachelorette parties. Are we doing the basic penis slash strap on theme with party hats or are you going to really do this up? Because I have ideas if you’re interested…”

Yeah. Ashley was kind of the perfect complement to her bestie. She understood the life they all seemed to swim through and knew exactly the right thing to focus on right then. Stacie settled with her legs criss crossed and pointed her chopsticks at Ashley. “A woman with a plan. I like it. Tell me more…”


	6. Forced Bet

  1. Forced Bet

Aubrey lifted her arm and glanced at the Cartier Ballon Bleu hanging gracefully off her wrist. It had belonged to her father, a gift from her Uncle Franco after her dad had done a five year stint in prison. It had been his most treasured possession and she wore it every day to remind herself not to forget the sacrifice he made to give her a better life. The seconds ticked by in a slow sweep of the hand as the few people scattered about the waiting room shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. The door to the inner office opened and a tall nurse with a cheery smile looked up from the chart in her hand.

“Aubrey?”

She stood and clicked across the waiting room to the carpeted hall of the inner clinic. The young nurse led her into a small alcove and gestured to the seat next to the desk. It was all routine, check in, wait, get called back, suffer through getting vitals, and get put in a room to wait. It was so routine she knew the staff all by name and they knew her. Aubrey took off her jacket and rolled her sleeve back high enough for the other woman to get the blood pressure cuff on.

“How’s it going, Emily? Your mom back from that cruise yet?”

“Oh! Oh my gosh I forgot that last time we saw you was before that. Both feet on the ground please…” Emily pumped the ball on the end of the cuff as she listened intently with her stethoscope. She paused when stopped hearing the strong whooshing beat of her pulse then slowly let out the pressure until she heard it again. Emily pulled the stethoscope of her ears, notated her findings in the chart and smiled at Aubrey. They had an automatic cuff in the clinic. There really wasn’t a need to do it the old fashioned way but that was how Emily was. She was a tactile person that believed touching was part of healing. “She had a great time! She came back tanned and about twenty years younger.”

It made Aubrey chuckle as she was rolling her sleeve back down. “Maybe she found the fountain of youth.”

Emily laughed and nodded. “Maybe. She’s already planning another trip in a few months. Under your tongue please, thank you.” She made another quick mark in the chart and pulled the beeping thermometer out of her patient’s mouth. “How about you? You look way less frowny than usual.”

Aubrey gave another chuckle and shrugged non committedly. “I just got engaged, I had an amazing lunch, and life is good.”

“Hey! Congrats! Ohmigosh, this is so cool. Wait til Doc Beale hears. She’s a sucker for a good love story. Well, who isn’t?! C’mon I’ll take you to a room while you wait.”

Aubrey stood and draped her jacket over her arm and followed the tall brunette down the industrial brown carpeted hall to an exam room. The nurse gave her a quick congratulatory hug that Aubrey almost flinched at and was gone before any complaint could be made. She was still standing there dumbly when Chloe popped into the room.

“Are you having a stoke or just the after effects of a run by hugging? If it’s the latter just nod.”

She gave a faint nod and Chloe chuckled as she shut the door to the exam room. They said nothing for a moment, each just looking at the other. The redhead put Aubrey’s chart on the countertop and crossed her arms over her chest in a pose that dared Aubrey to argue.

“I’m getting an invitation to this wedding I just heard about.”

“You wanna go to my wedding, Doc?” It was said teasingly but there was a hint of quiet hopefulness in Aubrey’s question. She knew a lot of people, controlled a lot of people even, but there were only a few people who really mattered to her. Doc Beale was one of them despite the fact that on occasion Aubrey had to ask Chloe to do things the doctor wouldn’t normally do. She hated that she had to do it and it always put a strain on their relationship when she did but Doc Beale was a part of Aubrey’s family. Her opinion mattered. “Cause I wasn’t sure you’d want to go to a _family_ wedding given your feelings on the subject.”

Chloe shifted uncomfortably and gave a slow nod. “I guess that a fair assessment. We haven’t always agreed on right and wrong but this? With Stacie? Bree that’s so right.” The doctor uncrossed her arms from her chest and took a step closer to Aubrey. “She makes you whole Aubrey, and you make her strong. That’s real and it’s good and I am so very happy for you.”

“Thanks Doc.” She didn’t even bother to tense when Chloe wrapped her in a tight hug. To resist would have been like fighting the coming tide so she didn’t bother. Aubrey returned the hug with a squeeze of her own and stepped back. “So you know, your name was always on the guest list even if you chose not to attend.”

“I would be honored to be a guest at my friend’s wedding. Not going was never even a consideration.”

“Good. I know just the person to seat you next to…”

“Don’t start Posen.” Aubrey put her hands up in surrender when Chloe poked her in the shoulder playfully. “I wish you’d stop using my exam rooms for your clandestine meetings.”

“C’mon Doc, why don’t you like Beca?” Aubrey slipped her jacket back on as Chloe leaned over the chart and quickly made up patient notes. She glanced over her shoulder at Aubrey who was genuinely curious about it. “Everyone loves her.”

“Everyone hates her.”

“Some people hate her.” Chloe gave her a look and Aubrey shrugged. “Okay a lot of people hate her. But a lot of people don’t.”

“She’s cocky, untrustworthy, belligerent, and she works for you.”

Okay that was a lot to argue against. “_You_ work for me.”

The other woman threw up her hands in an inarticulate gesture. “That is not the point! Even if none of those things were true she flirts with anything that walks. Everyone. Even my office manager Myrtice and she is 74 years old with 18 grandchildren. 18 Aubrey. 18.”

Aubrey leaned against the exam bed snickered. “Well, it seems like Myrtice knows something about romance then.”

There was a soft rap on the door that interrupted whatever shocked response Chloe would have made. The door cracked open and Beca slid into the room and closed it with a soft click behind herself. Doc Beale blinked once then nudged Beca out of the way to peek out the door, down one hall and then the other before closing it again with a frown.

“How did you know which room Aubrey was in? You could have walked in on me with a patient.”

“Myrtice told me.” Beca’s easy smirk slid across her face and she let her gaze trail down Chloe’s body. “Why Doc, whatever do you get up to with your patients? And can I be one?”

“Keep talking and you’re definitely going to need medical attention, Detective.”

Chloe gave Aubrey a significant look as she snatched the blonde’s file from the counter and stalked out. Beca watched her go with a chuckle, hands stuffed into the back pockets of her jeans. Aubrey shook her head at the detective.

“I see now why she doesn’t like you.”

Beca’s face fell and she glanced back at the closed door then to Aubrey. “Doc doesn’t like me?”

“Nobody likes you, Mitchell.”

“Some people do.”

“Name two.”

“Well I can name one, you like m…”

“No.”

It was a lie and they both knew it. Beca brought her hand to her chest and gave a mock sob. “Ouch dude, you wound me. After we’ve been through so much what with the murder and corruption and all.” It was just like Beca to bring it all back to business. Secretly Aubrey thought part of it was a way to avoid talking about Beca’s personal life. She knew the shorter woman used that arrogant swagger as a defense and Beca knew that she knew. The truth was she was sure that Detective Mitchell really like Chloe, but the small woman wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. The blonde was certain that Beca would drive the conversation to far less uncomfortable topics. “So what’s up with you and Esposito?” For herself.

Aubrey’s eye twitched and she sighed. “How long have you been waiting to ask that?”

“Are you kidding me? Immediately after you said “Ali-cat”, that’s cute by the way. Picking on the federal investigator assigned to investigate you.”

There it was. That ever present cloud looming over her. Aubrey gave a slight nod. “Yeah, Stace wasn’t real thrilled about it either. What can I say? I’m a bad guy, I do bad guy things.”

“You think he’s really alive?” Beca pulled a vape pen out of her jacket and took a drag. Aubrey shook her head as she considered. Honestly she hoped Weston was dead but she was having doubts. It must have showed on her face because Beca exhaled a weary smoke filled breath. “That’s gonna be a problem for both of us. Because right now, I’ve been real good about keeping ahead of Internal Affairs but if he’s alive I’m going down for extortion, accessory to attempted murder, collusion, bribery….and it’s not long after they start kicking over stones that they find the really bad stuff, yeah?”

Aubrey knew that if Alice could pin them with anything at all she’d be able to pin them for a whole bunch more. “I brought this down on us. I’m sorry about that Bec.”

Beca watched her dully as she puffed lightly on her pen. “Yeah did a little asking around and heard about the whole sordid affair.” She checked her watch and tucked the vape pen away. Beca exhaled and shrugged. “Sounds to me like Esposito shot herself in the foot with that. It was a rookie move and a rookie mistake. Doesn’t change the fact that she has it out for you now in a big way.”

Aubrey mulled that over as she opened her jacket and reached into the inner breast pocket for the envelope of cash stashed there. She hefted it in her hand a second before tossing it over to the detective with a grim nod. “There is something more here, Mitchell. She’s looking real hard at you and it makes me wonder why.”

“You think she thinks we’re in bed together? Literally?”

It wasn’t something Aubrey had considered previously. Alice could be jealous thinking that Aubrey was fucking another cop the same way she had fucked Alice. It was food for thought and something she’d bring up to Stacie later. She found herself getting Stacie’s opinion on things more and more but unlike with Alice, it wasn’t a show to gain her trust. She valued Stacie’s insight and her compassion, and it just made for good business.

“Maybe. She did seem surprised that Stacie effectively kicked them out. It’s possible she thought Stace was just arm candy and you and I were a thing.”

“Yeah I think it was more that she was dazzled and dazed by that glacier on your girl’s finger.” Aubrey scratched at her neck just above her collar line with a finger and shrugged. Beca’s smile eased into something warmer, softer and more genuine than her usual smirk. “Congrats, Posen. I’m glad you found your one.”

She had expected a lot of things to come out of Beca’s mouth right then but that hadn’t been any of them. Aubrey cleared her throat and nodded. “Thanks, Mitchell. I’m glad I found her too.”

“I kinda wish I could **STOP** finding you two naked though. That maybe something you could work on? ‘Preciate it.”

Aubrey laughed and tucked her hands into the pockets of her trousers they didn’t have much time but she was glad for the few minutes to just be recently and happily engaged. It wasn’t a feeling she ever thought she’d get to experience let alone share with friends.

“Yeah well maybe don’t bust into other people’s bedrooms. I almost put a bullet into you.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I thought someone was getting murdered in there…huh….well….”

“Shut up.” Beca laughed and peeked out down the halls again. She turned back around her usual grin in place and Aubrey realized that she deeply wished Detective Mitchell would be at her wedding. It was impossible and she knew it but she wished things were different. “Hey Bec…you know if you weren’t the good guy and I weren’t the bad guy…it’s you I would have wanted with me up there.”

She didn’t have to say what she meant. Beca knew and something flickered deep in her dark blue eyes. Maybe the same regret Aubrey felt herself, it was gone too fast for Aubrey to really say. “So you _do_ like me.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes with a chuckle and jerked her chin at the door. “Get the fuck out of here, Mitchell.”

Beca made finger guns at her and slipped out of the room. A second later the door opened again and the detective stuck her head back in. “For the record…I would have thrown you a banging bachelorette party.”

And then she was gone leaving Aubrey with a bittersweet chuckle. If only the world were a different place but it wasn’t and she was just going to have to play the pieces on the board before her. She waited another few moments in the room, using the silent time alone to figure out her next moves. When enough time had passed she opened the door to the exam room and headed for the exit at the end of the hall. Emily and Myrtice waved at her as she left and she offered a distracted smile as she passed them.

There was a lot on her mind and she was finding that no matter how she tried to separate the two things, her upcoming wedding and the current investigation on her were inextricably linked. Her father’s voice drifted through her mind, a half forgotten memory of him teaching her chess. _“Don’t take your eyes off the king and queen. He’s got moves and she’s got power. Use all the pieces on the board, not just yours to control where they move. You control how they move, you control the whole game.”_ She had hoped that things would have played out naturally for her but the way it was turning out she was going to have to force the bet to get the action moving.

She was still deep in thought when she stepped out into the bright California sunlight. Her sharp eyes cut left and right as she stepped up the curb. Lilly pulled up just as she reached the edge and she slipped into the front seat of the car. Lil looked over and raised a brow her lips moving near silently.

“Was Stacie pissed they were watching?” Again the other woman’s lips moved and Aubrey had to work to make out what was being said. She could just hear that Stacie was in fact pissed off, she was drunk and making some very inventive suggestions for the wedding. “I’m not wearing a coral tuxedo. What are we, in Florida?” If Lilly had anything else to say Aubrey missed it entirely. “Take me to The Bird. I need to get something before our last stop. You still talk to your hacker booty call in The Valley?”

Lilly turned to look at her as they pulled up at a red light. Her dark eyes weighed Aubrey carefully before she nodded once. “Good. Call him up, I want to find out all about Agents Applebaum and Esposito. I want everything he can get and I’m willing to pay well.” Lilly gave a nod and Aubrey leaned back and closed her eyes as the car pulled forward and eased into the freeway on ramp. She couldn’t stop the smile from curling her lips at the idea of wearing a coral tuxedo. It was utterly ridiculous and she knew in a heartbeat she’d be wearing one if Stacie really wanted her to.

It must be love.


	7. Ante Up

As a rule, Aubrey never let anyone insult or try to intimidate her. She had been bullied and been a bully so she was familiar with all the ways to cut a person down with no more than a glance. It’s why she wasn’t the least bit phased by the idea of facing the Conrads, they were polite bullies but bullies just the same. She glanced to her right at Lilly holding her Halliburton briefcase then back at the large front door that was swinging inward. A housekeeper stood just inside, smile pleasant and calm. Aubrey tipped her head in a shallow nod of greeting, her voice a low, warm burr.

“Hello Louisa, are Mr. and Mrs. Conrad home?”

“Miss Aubrey, how unexpected.” She looked past Aubrey and Lilly toward the driveway then frowned slightly. “Miss Stacie isn’t with you?”

“No, I came to see the Conrads on my own.”

One dark and perfectly tweezed brow raised in silent question. Louisa was a kind enough person, she certainly seemed to feel real affection for Stacie, but it was clear she was the gatekeeper and none would pass unless she approved first. Aubrey didn’t expect to get that approval simply because she’d shown up last time and been announced as Stacie’s girlfriend. Louisa and the Conrads themselves didn’t really know her. And that was precisely why she was there now. She wanted them to know exactly who she was.

“And what should I say your visit is regarding?”

While she respected the woman’s backbone, she didn’t really feel like explaining herself. “Personal matters.” Louisa’s eyes narrowed slightly judging and measuring her. Aubrey stood there patiently waiting for a moment before she opted to explain further. “Regarding Stacie.”

“All right. If you’ll follow me.” Something passed across the woman’s face, a slight softening of her features and she gave a slow nod of agreement. She led them down the same hall Aubrey had been before, taking them to the large drawing room at the end. “Please make yourselves comfortable and I’ll see if the Conrads are available for guests.”

“I would like to speak to Mrs. Conrad first and alone if possible, please.”

Another raised brow but a slow, uncertain nod was her only response. Lilly, her silent shadow, walked around the room, eyes roving over everything in it. Louisa watched her for a moment then turned and left, presumably to find the Conrads.

Aubrey settled herself on couch, casually stretching an arm along the back of it. She wasn’t scared exactly because she wasn’t afraid of anything really. But she was nervous. Helene Conrad was an imposing figure and one she hoped to win over. If for no other reason than to hopefully ease the tension between Stacie and her parents. Or. At least. Her mother. The blonde seriously doubted that August Conrad would come around to accepting her in any part of their lives.

The grandfather clock along one wall ticked by exactly in time with her watch with metronomic proficiency, each second passing loudly in the otherwise quiet room. It wasn’t a very long wait but enough to ratchet Aubrey’s mild nervousness to a slight panic making her want to loosen the suddenly chokingly stiff tie and collar. There was a chance Helene would never accept her, causing the rift between mother and daughter to widen to a gaping chasm. The thought of that caused her lips to pull down into a frown.

Stacie already had a difficult relationship with her parents, Aubrey didn’t want to do anything to make that worse. She might not have all the advantages and money that Stacie had growing up but she had at least had one parent that encouraged and cared for her. A parent that taught her to be the person she was with patience and understanding. A parent that accepted who she was without question simply because she was their kid. One parent that would have fought the whole world to protect her. Compared to Stacie, Aubrey _felt_ rich for having a dad that loved her unconditionally.

If her dad had been alive maybe it would be different. Maybe this wouldn’t be as important to get right, because in the end Mickey Posen would have treated Stacie as his own. She knew her father would have swept Stacie into a welcoming hug the second he set eyes on her. The frown eased back into the blank neutrality of her poker face as soon as her ears picked up the muffled sound steps.

Helene came around the corner to the room and stopped to take in the sight of Aubrey looking entirely too at ease on her couch and Lilly looming in the corner giving the other two women a modicum of privacy. The older woman gave her a mildly assessing stare and let that perfectly bland smile settle onto her face.

“Miss Posen, to what do we owe the pleasure of such an unexpected visit?”

It was politely said but Aubrey could hear the annoyance in it. She showed up unannounced and Helene Conrad wasn’t above pointing it out. The blonde gave an easy smile and let out a calming breath before she raised her shoulder in a half shrug.

“I thought it prudent we speak; I would have made an appointment to see you and your husband but I didn’t want to run the risk of getting the run around.”

“Touché.” Helene dipped her dark head in acknowledgement that Aubrey would indeed have gotten the brush off. “Would you care for some coffee or a beverage?”

She honestly wasn’t thirsty and she wondered if Helene was offering it just to be polite. Aubrey considered it a tick before nodding slightly as she stroked a hand down her tie to smooth it into place, if it were being offered it would be rude not to accept.

“Tea would be lovely if you have it.”

The other woman gave her a measuring look before turning to Louisa with nod and a quiet thank you. Though Stacie might not agree, she was clearly her mother’s daughter. The resemblance was striking in more than looks alone and Aubrey found herself smiling softly at the curious tilt to Helene’s head and the slightly narrowed gold-flecked green eyes she levelled at the blonde.

“I get the impression you prefer to be frank, so let us cut to the chase. Why are you here Miss Posen?”

“I came to apologize.” It was the very last thing that Stacie’s mother had expected judging by the long slow blink she gave. Aubrey leaned forward a little with earnest intention, her elbows resting on her knees in a pose that had Helene raising a brow. “We left dinner so quickly I didn’t get a chance to thank you for your hospitality and…I never intended to cause a scene. I wanted to say I’m sorry about that.”

“Your humility is admirable and appreciated Miss Posen.”

It wasn’t a lot of a leader and but Aubrey knew it meant something to the other woman. She gave a dip of her head in a nod of acknowledgement and sat back as Louisa returned with a tray of tea. She waited to be served then took a sip before smiling her thanks at the housekeeper. Louisa left quietly closing the drawing room doors shut behind her but the quick inquisitive look she gave Aubrey as she left gave the impression that the woman heard every word ever spoken in that house.

“Stacie’s happiness is important to me Mrs. Conrad. I would never intentionally cause her to be hurt or embarrassed.”

“I think you believe that.” Helene took a sip of her tea and shrugged. “Be that as it may, the truth remains that you are a criminal Aubrey. You make your money off illegal activities and sooner or later, intentionally or not, it’s going to catch up to you and you’re going to get my daughter killed.”

She respected the directness even though it was a punch to the gut. Aubrey let the scalding tea cool a little longer, staring into the depths of her cup for several seconds as she weighed her words carefully.

“As I understand it, you and your husband weren’t this concerned about her safety when Weston was putting his hands on her.” The sudden silence made the tick of the clock sound thunderous. The blonde raised her eyes to meet Helene’s and waited as the woman worked through her outrage at the comment. “You know what the police found, what he was. He would have killed her sooner rather than later the way he was going. Do you honestly think she was better off then?”

“That was…regrettable. Of course, we never wished for Stacie to be in that situation but perceptions-“

“Perceptions mean a lot to you and your husband. I know. You can’t be seen openly accepting her life no matter how happy she is now, or how safe with me she may be. Right? What would people think?”

The older woman stayed silent as Aubrey placed her cup down gently on the tray and nodded her understanding of the position the woman was in. She wasn’t judging her for what she hadn’t done to protect Stacie in the past, she was simply acknowledging what was more important to the Conrads.

“You’re not quite the woman I expected you to be Aubrey.”

Aubrey raised her chin a little as she stood and straightened her tie. “No? What were you expecting?”

“A liar and among other things a brute.” It was surprising and she frowned in confusion. “I’ve met my fair share of liars, you’re not one. You’re nothing like _he_ was.”

It was startling and she raised brows nearly to her hairline in question. Aubrey slipped her hands in her pockets and blinked at the still seated woman. Helene Conrad’s poker face was nearly as good as Beca’s and Aubrey couldn’t read anything in it. She assumed the ‘he’ was Weston and that being different was a good thing.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The smile was faint and fleeting but Aubrey was sure she’d seen it. She found herself re-evaluating her and wondering if Stacie’s mother might one day come around. Either way it was as much of an endorsement as she was going to get from the woman she suspected. Aubrey sighed softly and nodded feeling like she needed to say something in case there was any lingering doubt.

“I love her, Mrs. Conrad. Like I have never loved anyone or anything in my life. Lei è il mio sole, il centro del mio universe. It means-“

“I know what it means. And…if things were different…”

It was a theme in her life and Aubrey gave a short nod of understanding. If things were different, she wouldn’t be under a federal investigation, Beca would be her best man, and Stacie’s parents would love her more than they loved themselves and their reputations.

“I’ve asked her to marry me.”

“So, you’re asking for what? Permission or a blessing?”

“No, because we’re gonna get married with or without it. I came here to tell you that despite _perceptions_, I hope you’ll show Stacie that you care about her happiness and attend the event. She loves you very much.” Something passed behind Helene’s eyes but Aubrey couldn’t read the emotion in it with how quickly is disappeared. “Thank you for your time Mrs. Conrad, if it’s all right I’d like to see your husband now.”

Helene studied her a moment longer then placed her cup down and stood. Aubrey followed her to another room across the hall with Lilly still trailing behind them. The heavy oak door was closed and she could just barely hear the murmur of a man’s voice rising in frustrated anger from the other side. The brunette woman stopped and turned to really look at her one last time, still searching Aubrey’s face for something only she knew.

“He’s…obstinate.”

“Is that a warning?”

She didn’t answer, choosing instead to knock on the door and push it open. August Conrad looked up from the papers on his desk and frowned when he saw them standing there. He dropped the heavy pen on his desk and grunted.

“I’ll call you back.” Stacie’s father reached out and hung up the phone before leaning back in his chair and gesturing to Aubrey. “Posen. What do you want?”

Helene gave her a look and exited the room. Aubrey nodded and Lilly moved silently to the corner. The door closed with a click and she sauntered closer to the desk. It was different facing him, than it was Stacie’s mom. He was never going to approve of their relationship or accept Aubrey. She knew that and wasn’t there to try and bridge any gaps between him and his daughter.

“I’m here to talk business.”

“Business? As far as I’m concerned, we don’t have any business. You’re just the crook trying to get a slice of someone else’s pie.”

The tiny voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Detective Mitchell made an entirely inappropriate comeback but she only gave the barest twitch of a smile. It was just too easy and truthfully, she didn’t want to fall into the trap of playing his game. She didn’t wait to be offered a seat, Aubrey just settled into the nice plush chair across from him and crossed one leg over the other.

“That is exactly what I expected you would say in front of your constituents. But they’re not here right now and neither are the cameras.” She gestured around the otherwise empty office negligently as if he hadn’t noticed there was no one to grandstand for. “Do you know why I’m so good at the work I do Mr. Conrad?”

“I wouldn’t even begin to imagine.” He leaned back in his chair watching her with interest despite himself. It caused a muscle in his cheek to twitch with irritation.

“Research.”

“I’m sorry?”

She smiled slightly at his deliberate obtuseness and tipped her head slightly to the side in deep measuring thought. It made him uncomfortable and the cheek muscle spasmed again. People like August Conrad were never as clever as they thought they were.

“You see people come in and out of our lives so frequently that it’s hard to know who you’re really dealing with. In my particular line of work not knowing who you’re dealing with can be more than just a little dangerous, it could be devastating.” He gave her a bored look and she smiled wider. “I imagine you must go through the same thing with so many people clamoring to get your attention.”

“What the hell does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”

The bluntly unimpressed glare let her know he hadn’t put the dots together yet. Aubrey felt the amusement drain from her face even if the smile held steady. He wasn’t a stupid man by any means but he underestimated her and that was a mistake.

“I research everyone that I think might have a potential impact on my life. Including you Mr. Conrad.” She could see his feathers ruffling as he sucked in a breath to respond with but she waved him off. “Please. Let’s not pretend you don’t have a private investigator doing the same for you. The difference is I have access to information you won’t find on any credit report.”

“I don’t know what you’re implying or what you think you know but you won’t catch me caught up in anything untoward. I take my oath to public service and the office seriously.”

What started as an occasional twitch in his cheek was now a rapid uneven flutter of constant movement. His tone and his demeanor were right but his tell gave him away and she gave a slow nod as if she accepted him at face value.

“Weston was your money man, wasn’t he?” A glimmer of unease flickered in his eyes and she tsked softly. “I heard through the grapevine that he stole a lot of money from his clients.”

He said nothing, in fact he didn’t even breathe. She was treading to close to something he was worried about and she knew it. Aubrey drummed her fingers idly on her knee letting the silence stretch between them. She could feel him slowly suffocating in it as his anxiety rose high, pressuring him into speaking to break the quiet around them.

“Are you implying something Posen?”

“Not at all.” For a second, he seemed to breathe in a short sigh of relief but her lips quirked again in amusement as she casually gestured toward him. “Of course, if you _had_ lost money, I’m sure you could recoup it from your campaign fund. But that would be illegal and you’d have to account for those funds somehow before too long. And you would _never_ do that would you?”

August Conrad licked his dry lips and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His right hand came up to scratch lightly at the ever-present twitch. “No. I would not.”

“Of course not. Only crooks like me think that way, right?”

They stared at each other for a long minute, the new knowledge that they weren’t so different filling the space between them. She raised a finger and gestured for Lilly to come forward. Aubrey stared at him as locks on the briefcase clicked and popped open. The hinges gave a soft creak with the rising lid and he couldn’t hold her gaze any longer. His eyes drifted to the open case and widened at the cash lined in neat perfect stacks. It was impossible for him to hide the greed that twisted his distinguished features.

“What is this? A bribe?”

“Consider it a campaign contribution.” Aubrey jerked her chin at the desk and Lilly set the briefcase on it directly in front of him. It was too much temptation and he reached out to stroke the cash reverently. She stood easily and started for the door stopping to look over her shoulder at him. “I can be a very generous friend Mr. Conrad. We could help each other.”

He snorted at that and pulled out a stack to count the bills. Arrogance made his chest puff out as he tossed the money back into the briefcase negligently. It was the height of disrespect and he was just so damned sure of himself. Like every other politician and crook she’d ever met.

“She’ll hate you for this. Buying her off like a whore won’t win you any favors, Posen.”

Aubrey froze with her hand on the doorknob, her spine rigid with the flash of sudden anger. Her head turned slowly until she could pin him with an icy stare. She turned fully, deliberate steps bringing her to the front of his desk. One hand slowly pushed the lid of the briefcase shut as she leaned forward threateningly.

“The only whore I’m buying here…is you, August. I’ll call you when I want you to do something for me. And you’re gonna do it with a fucking smile on your face because you don’t **_ever _**want to disappoint me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

A fine tremor made his jaw tremble as he nodded quickly and Aubrey nodded in return. She eased back and tugged her vest down with a settling sigh before looking at her watch. She didn’t have time to hurt him and it would be counterproductive. A threat would work just as well as a beating in this case.

“And August? You call my future wife a whore again and I’ll cut out your tongue and hang you with it.”

She didn’t have to look back at him to make sure he got the message, Lilly playing with her butterfly knife was clear enough. He slumped back into his leather chair with relief the second she had stepped out of the office. It hadn’t been the opened armed acceptance she’d hoped but it could have gone worse. Still it gave her a better understanding of her soon to be in laws and her heart panged in her chest for Stacie.

“Family dinner tonight, Lil. Make sure everyone knows, hm?”

Aubrey couldn’t make up for the way Stacie had grown up but she could make sure it was just a distant memory. Maybe they were just a band of violent criminals. But they were a family, her family…_their_ family. And that was more than anything that the Conrads had ever been to Stacie.


	8. Bad Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone still reading.

“Cassidy will you grab the rest of the breads and take them into the pantry? Thanks.”

Stacie hefted a study cardboard box full of frozen chicken cutlets and hamburger patties. She placed it on top of a stack of boxes similarly filled on the waiting dolly before the tall brunette glanced at her clipboard to confirm the last of the supplies had been accounted for. She tossed the plastic board on top of the box and tipped back the over laden hand truck to get it rolling. She navigated through the heavy steel back door and down the hall to the storeroom, content in the work she was doing.

It wasn’t by any means heroic or anything. It was just the daily business of running the shelter, errands, chores, stocking the pantry…the usual. But it made her feel good to have such a hands-on approach to her community work. The shelter hadn’t just been a home for women that had to leave dangerous situations. It had been her own safe haven from the world her husband and parents lived in. Despite the fact that work was hard, the hours long, and the circumstances almost always heartbreaking, this place brought her peace.

Voices down the hall rose and she frowned slightly, easing the dolly down before following the commotion to its source. It wasn’t normal to hear people arguing, the shelter was a sanctuary and shouting just didn’t happen that often. A familiar strident tone threaded through the sound and her eyes narrowed. She could tell it was a man, of course by the deepness of the voice but she didn’t know him personally. She didn’t really have to. It was a husband or boyfriend or even sometimes a pimp. She knew it by the entitled bluster that loudly demanded entry.

There was a time when just the tone of that kind of aggression from any man, made her tremble in reflexive anxiety. Although those days were gone, they weren’t that far past and she could feel that sliver of fear want to take over. The ugly reminder of it made her push forward with anger of her own that quickly drowned out the scared echo in the back of her mind.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re trespa-“

“I KNOW she’s in there! You bring me my wife and my boy or I swear I’ll call the cops.”

Emotion slid off her face as she opened the inner door to the reception area and let it click closed behind her. Cassidy turned and gave her a relieved look that she smiled understandingly at. It wasn’t the girl’s fault and she knew that. A thick meaty fist banged on the thick plexi glass wall that separated them making her young friend jump.

“Why don’t you go grab a coffee and a quick snack, I’ve got this.”

“Are you sure? Should I call…_someone_?”

Cassidy had lowered her voice to barely a whisper but Stacie gave her credit for trying to back her up even though she was clearly uncomfortable. Though she was sure the _someone_ Cassidy was referring to was Aubrey. She gave the girl a slight shake of her head squeezed her shoulder gently.

“It’s okay Cass, go on.”

Cassidy didn’t question it further, she just escaped out the door without a backward glance. Stacie didn’t blame her one bit. She took a calming breath before turning and offering a bland, mechanical smile to the man pacing with agitation in front of her window. He was big in that he was heavy but not that tall. Certainly not taller than her. And she could tell by the way he stretched his spine and neck that he didn’t like it one bit.

“How can I help you, sir?”

“And who the hell are you supposed to be? I want to talk to someone in charge not some fucking desk bunny.”

Usually Stacie didn’t mind when people thought of her as hot and dumb. She’d played to it often enough when it suited her needs. This time, however, it irritated her rather than just mildly amusing her. The glass front doors opened behind him as someone came in, the bright sunlight slicing through what she was realizing now was kind of a dim and dreary interior. She made a mental note to have some improvements overall and offered him a smile. First things first.

“If you’re looking for someone in charge you found her. Is there something wrong?”

“Lady you got some fucking balls. Is there something wrong? I’ve only been screaming about it for twenty fucking minutes!” His fist came up again to bang on the plexi in exclamation of his point. “I know my wife and son are in there and you better go get them now. Olivia! OLIVIA, I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE YOU BITCH!”

Movement behind him drew her eye and she saw Happy peek around the side of the man, her brow raised in silent question. Did Stacie want her to deal with him? The corner of her lips twitched and she had to fight to keep her face from betraying her thoughts. A shake of her head was enough for Happy to ease back silently to let her handle things. It was still nice knowing there was backup at hand just in case. She wasn’t even surprised to see the woman. Life with Aubrey had come with the perk of personal security.

“Okay that’s about enough of that. I don’t know who your wife is or why you think she’s here but I suggest you lower your voice and you leave.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, bitch! I’m not leaving here without them. If you don’t bring them out, I swear I’ll call-“

“The cops? Sure. Let’s do that.” Stacie picked up the phone and started to dial the non-emergency phone line for the West L.A. Police Department. He banged on the glass again but she didn’t flinch, she had expected it the second she’d called his bluff. The line clicked open with a dispatcher as he stared at her furiously. He wanted to hurt her; she could tell. She’d faced that same black look a thousand times before but she wasn’t afraid of it. Not because Happy stood a few feet behind him, or the fact that there were two inches of impact glass between them. Something had shifted in her when Weston had died. Something profound that she hadn’t yet come to understand but was learning to appreciate. “Hi yes this is Stacie Conrad down at New Hope on Sepulveda…”

“Fuck you! Stupid bitch.”

He turned on a heel, practically pushing Happy and the slender woman in line behind her out of the way. Stacie let out a breath she didn’t realize that she was holding and thanked the dispatch operator before hanging up. He could be as mad as he wanted to be, as long as it was somewhere else. She shook her head and smiled at Happy who bounced a little with her thumbs up. The encouragement was appreciated, especially when the curly blonde-haired woman shifted slightly to the side and Stacie really took in the woman behind her observing everything with a keen and critical eye.

“Mother.”

It was unexpected, taking the wind out of her sails and she wondered how her mother had even found the place. She certainly had never been inclined to visit before. Helene waited a moment, carefully smoothing the skirt of her latest Dior suit set to buy her some time before speaking. Happy glanced back and forth between the two of them giving Stacie a questioning look before easing back out the front door to give them some privacy. Her mother offered a blank smile and took one step forward as if she were a bit afraid that poverty was contagious.

“Well, things are certainly livelier south of the country club, aren’t they?”

It was just this side of bitchy, her mother unable to keep herself from reminding Stacie that she was bred above this place and these people. Of course, Helene would never consider it a slight, just a gentle reminder. In a way, she supposed, her mother was attempting to meet her in the middle. A soft, tired smile tugged at her lips and she gestured for the older woman to wait.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew her mother was there because Aubrey had visited her parents. Not that her fiancée had said anything about it, but she didn’t have to. Stacie had known something had happened the second she’d gotten a text from Aubrey letting her know that they were having a family dinner. It wasn’t uncommon really, she had learned that when Aubrey wanted to show love she cooked, and she cooked a lot. But the timing was so random and spontaneous, so weighted by whatever knowledge Aubrey had learned that afternoon.

Stacie had suspected that it had to do with her parents when Aubrey had caught her in the kitchen and pulled her into a hug, strong arms wrapping around her protectively. It was the type of love she hadn’t known really existed before. So, she hadn’t questioned it, hadn’t thought harder on it because it didn’t really matter what her life was like before the blonde or what Aubrey had found out. All that mattered was how deeply loved she felt now.

Her footsteps brought her through the office and around to the heavy steel door that separated her from the lobby. Stacie took a breath to center herself but pushed back against the urge to close herself off and wall up her emotions so she could present a camera-ready visage at any moment. She rested her palm flat on the door and pushed it open wide enough to admit her mother to the back.

“I wasn’t sure you knew the map extended past the country club, mother.”

They could trade politely smiled barbs at each other all day but she was getting really tired of that song and dance. Maybe they both were. They eyed each other for a long second before she jerked her head in invitation. Helene seemed to think it good enough and stepped past the threshold to the rest of the shelter. Stacie let the door shut and gave it push to be sure it was locked shut before gesturing for her mother to walk with her.

“I’m surprised to see you, mom. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine. I just…to be quite honest Anastacia, I don’t know. I just.” She stopped short unable to articulate what had brought her. “I found myself needing to see…”

The tall brunette dipped her head in a nod of acknowledgement, absolving her mother of further explanation. Stacie stopped at the pantry and waved a hand to gesture Helene into the room. She picked up her clipboard and hung it on the hook on the wall before starting to dig through the boxes still patiently stacked on the dolly awaiting attention. Her mother watched it all with curiosity bubbling behind her hazel green eyes. She was sure she knew what her mother was trying to say, or at least she hoped she did.

“Just give me a second to get this sorted out, maybe we could…have lunch?”

It was tentatively asked because it wouldn’t be the first time her lunch invitation had been declined. She almost expected to hear that there weren’t any decent places to eat in that part of town or some other snobby slight. Stacie was so sure her mother would decline that she looked away from the older woman and started stacking the frozen items in the big commercial freezer the shelter had just purchased at a significant discount from one of Aubrey’s suppliers.

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

A box of cube steaks slipped between her fingers and clattered to the ground. She blinked and looked back at her mother before grabbing the box and stacking it neatly in the freezer. Okay. It was unexpected but it was a start. Maybe.

“Great. Let me just finish putting these away and we can go.”

Helene shifted her weight and Stacie could feel the tension under the surface. She raised a brow in question and her mother gestured to the boxes with a graceful wave of her hand.

“Don’t you have people to do the grunt work?”

Stacie chuckled softly as she finished emptying one box and started on another with canned goods. She moved around the pantry, stocking the shelves, and taking note of what was needed still. Her mother hadn’t meant an insult by it, she was a woman used to giving orders and expecting them to be followed. It was the type of life that led to soft hands and hard hearts and it was exactly what Stacie never wanted to be.

“Well. The shelter budget only includes 3 full time employees, so we maintain the ship on the kindness of volunteers and we all lend a hand where we can.”

“Three??? That is insanity. You can’t run a business on three solid employees!” She smiled in mild amusement and shook her head. Her mother’s outrage and disbelief seemed so out of place when she’d been running the place on less for almost a decade. Stacie emptied the last box and pulled a bag of fresh grapes from the fridge to wash off in the large stainless sink along one wall. “That’s not a sustainable model.”

“Well, most of our funding covers the overhead of the building. Insurance of course, and the electricity bill here is ridiculous. But…we’ve been managing. Like I said, we have a lot of volunteers staffed and I’m grateful for each and every one of them.”

She dried the grapes, depositing them in a bowl and grabbed her clipboard before gesturing for Helene to follow her. They had only made it about 4 steps down the hall when Cass called out from her spot back at the front desk.

“Stace, the plumber emailed over the quote. It’s on your desk and you’re not gonna like it!”

“Thanks, Cass! I’ll call them back today!”

Shouting down the hall would been frowned upon at home when she was growing but she didn’t have the time to walk to the front just for that bit of info. Stacie pushed open the double doors to room they had recently designated as the playroom. It was large and brightly painted with books and games stacked neatly on shelves along the walls and thick spongey mats on the floor. Nearly a dozen kids made a beeline straight for her making her laugh in delight.

“Okay okay, easy guys. More than enough grapes for everyone. Hey Tanner.” A teenaged boy pushed off from the wall and waded through the kids to grab a some of the sweet fruit. She smiled at him and he blushed, glancing away nervously. It was adorable. Stacie turned back to her mother and gestured to the teen at her side as she handed him the bowl of grapes. “Tanner is one of our superstars, he helps out in the afternoons with the kids while the AA meeting convenes in the multipurpose room. We’re pretty self sufficient here, we look after our own.”

“We’re a family. Like a real one.”

Both women turned to look at the shy young man that looked like he wished he’d never spoken. Stacie winked at him and patted his shoulder as she stepped back toward the door. Tanner and his mother Linda had been some of the first families to stay at New Hope and she was glad to see them doing well.

“Do all the guests do work here?”

“It’s not required but some do, yes. Tanner doesn’t live here anymore but he and his mom make it a point to help out as often as they can.”

“Yo! Stacie, we need you to review that grant proposal before we submit it. The deadline is tonight, it’s on your desk!”

Stacie and her mom parted as a small determined body buzzed down the hall. Her mother looked a little flustered at the abruptness of the comment even as the speaker disappeared back up the hall and into a small office.

“Don’t mind Elena. She’s ‘eh’ on people skills but she’s a whiz at writing grants.”

They had finally made it to the smallest office at the back of the building. It was windowless and dark but she’d worked hard to make it cozy and comfortable. Her wide worktable took up most of one side and she settled behind it with a gesture to the seat across from her.

“I hadn’t realized how busy you were here…”

There was something in her tone that made Stacie look up from her computer screen with a frown. It was thoughtful and quiet, more like Helene was speaking to herself rather than to her daughter. The silence between them stretched, neither party sure what to say or how to close the gap that had been growing since as far back as Stacie could remember. Despite the fact that they were family, mother and daughter, they were really just two strangers to each other.

She opened her mouth to say anything to break the odd tableau when a casual knock on the door drew their attention and saved her from an inarticulate flounder. The tiny woman leaned against the frame with a grin and a plastic container full of food she could smell from there. Her stomach gave a growl of anticipation and Stacie beamed. Happy’s girlfriend laughed at the entirely scandalized look on her mother’s face and stepped into the office.

“Hey…I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

“Not at all, come in. Flo this is my mom Helene Conrad, mother this is Florencia Fuentes. She has a local catering business in town and donates a lot of prepared food to us. She’s a saint. Wha’cha got in the box?”

“Nice to meet you Mrs. Conrad.” The small woman offered Helene a smile and placed the container in front of Stacie. “I was just dropping off something for tonight. And Happy told me you skipped lunch again. So, I brought your favorite to tempt you into eating.”

Stacie’s eyes went right to the container, her mouth watering already. Over the last six months she and Florencia had gotten close, bonding over the amazing food the caterer had been donating almost weekly. And in that time she’d grown more than a little fond of Cuban cuisine.

“Tempt me? You couldn’t convince me to eat anything else.” Well. Almost anything else. Stacie kept her face perfectly schooled as the errant thought ran through her head. She reminded herself that her mother was marginally fine with sitting in a cramped closet of an office in a less than great part of town, scandalizing her now wouldn’t do their relationship any favors. The thought of her mother just sitting there staring at her salivating over the as yet unopened container brought Stacie back to herself. “Oh…mom…I promised lunch…”

“That’s quite alright, Anastacia. It would be a shame to let such a thoughtful gesture go to waste. It smells delicious.”

Flo beamed at the praise, and she should have. Helene didn’t give outright compliments unless she felt they were deserved. Stacie glanced at her mother, her mind quickly processing every twitch of muscle and softly sighed breath. Her mom’s eyes dipped to the container the curiosity and hunger obvious only to Stacie who knew her mother better than anyone else on the planet. Flo gestured to the hallway just outside the open door and tipped her head to the side as she watched the delicate dance between Stacie and her mother.

“I can get plates and silverware from the kitchen for you guys…”

Stacie nodded even though her mother was wavering on the edge of accepting the offer. She was sure that she would have declined with a sneer if her friends had been around. The younger Conrad woman lifted the lid to let the aroma waft up and out. Her mother’s eyes closed briefly as she inhaled the exotic combination of savory and sweet scents.

“Oh, my goodness…”

“Mouthwatering isn’t it?”

Helene nodded dazedly, not even noticing Flo come back with dishes. Her friend gave her a grin as she handed the plates and forks over and Stacie mouthed a thank you before starting to divvy up the rice and beans and seasoned meat.

“I’d better go, I have pastor’s 85th birthday event to cater in South Gate. Buen provecho and it was really nice to meet you Mrs. Conrad.”

“You too, dear. Thank you for the food if it tastes as delicious as it smells I’ll be in heaven.”

Stacie got up and gave Flo a tight hug before she could leave. Most of her adult life she’d only ever had one true friend in Cynthia Rose. But now things were different and she counted herself lucky to have found other amazing women that she could trust and that understood the life she had. It was helping she find who the real Stacie Conrad was under the carefully held up façade she was forced to build for herself.

“Thank you and hey, you, me, Ashley and the Doc for a girl’s day, yeah?”

“Count me in. Besos.”

“Bye.” Stacie watched Flo leave before settling back into her chair. She had been aware of her mother watching her carefully as she said her goodbyes. It was probably the first time that Helene had ever seen a real friendship up close in her life. “Sorry, okay. We’ve got a little of everything here.”

“Sizeable portions, nice presentation, it doesn’t even have to be good and she could make a decent living with a small café style store front in the art district.”

“Give it a try.” Stacie grinned and slid a plate across the desk to her mother. Helene gave her a dubious look and speared some of the steak on the end of her fork. The older woman gave an exasperated sigh before popping it in her mouth. She knew the moment Helene actually tasted the food she’d be hooked and she wasn’t surprised by the approving hum from the older woman. “It’s good right?”

“This is amazing. Oh, she could make a killing. What is this dish? I simply must know.”

“It’s called ropa vieja.” She waited a beat for her mom to take another, bigger bite of the food before continuing. “It literally means old clothes.”

Helene stopped chewing and looked at her fork then Stacie. The look on her face was too much for her and Stacie tipped her head back in a laugh.

“Oh God, your face. It’s fine, it’s just flank steak in a tomato sauce with white rice and black beans. And those are maduros. Um. Fried plantains.”

The other woman looked at the plate as her daughter pointed out all the components of the meal. She looked up and smiled in soft amusement at Stacie and for the life of her she couldn’t remember when that had happened before. Stacie’s own lips curled in a smile to match and for the first time felt like maybe there really was common ground between them. Maybe they just had to try a little harder to reach out to each other.

“This is…this is really nice, Stacie. I’m glad I came.”

She opened her mouth to comment that it was the first time her mother had used her nickname but her phone gave a petulant sounding buzz from somewhere under the stack of papers on her desk. She shifted the plate and files over until she found it and answered with a brief smile of apology for her mom.

“This is Stacie Conrad.”

“Hey mom.”

The voice was unmistakably Detective Mitchell but the greeting was strange. Stacie frowned slightly and looked at the clock on the wall. It was late afternoon and she was reasonably certain that the cop hadn’t yet started drinking but Beca was unpredictable and could be three sheets to the wind already. She lowered her voice and sat back in her chair, a knot already twisting her gut as she pondered all the reasons that Beca would be trying to reach her.

“Should I be worried you’re calling me?”

“Yeah, I know, I don’t call enough. I figure no news is good news, right?”

“Does that mean you have news and it’s not good?”

“Listen, how’s Daddy doing? Last time I saw him he had his hands tied.”

Stacie froze. A part of her was amused that Beca was referring to Aubrey as Daddy but that was quickly swallowed by the sick feeling of realization that Detective Mitchell was trying to tell her that Aubrey had been arrested. At least that was what she assumed based on what was said.

“Jesus Christ. They arrested her, didn’t they?”

“You’re always right, Mom. Listen I just wanted to check in. I got a big fish on the hook and I have to check some things out. I’ll see you and Daddy later, okay?”

“You know she’s going to murder you if you call her Daddy to her face, right?”

The line clicked abruptly on Beca’s amused and utterly unconcerned laughter. Stacie looked at her phone then dragged her eyes up to meet her mother’s bright-eyed stare. Disapproval etched a deep furrow in her brow and the very thin, shaky ground between them crumbled away with each word she spoke.

“I have to go downtown.”


	9. The Angle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to everyone or anyone that might still be reading. I keep meaning to post once a week instead of once a month but well…life. Thanks for sticking around.

_Aubrey shifted slightly and crossed one leg over the other. Someone, probably Alice, had raised the temperature from the usual chilly 60 something degrees to what she was estimating to be somewhere in the 80s. It would be uncomfortable in something less than a business suit, but it was suffocating in the Italian wool three-piece she was currently wearing. They hoped that it would give her a short fuse thus making her more likely to say something they could use. The blonde leaned back using the uneven chair to rock slightly in her boredom. The chair, like the raised heat was intentional. Typical cop mind games; basic and blunt like a baseball bat to the skull._

_A bead of sweat rolled down her neck and she itched to loosen her tie and unbutton the collar._

_Basic, but apparently effective none the less. A muscle twitched at the corner of her eye but she didn’t follow through with the impulse to show her discomfort. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Aubrey lifted her head slightly and stared directly at the two-way mirror, her lips tugging into an amused smirk. She didn’t know where Alice was standing or even if she really was on the other side of it. But she if she were to bet, she’d say Alice was standing there with a mixture of smug anticipation, watching, and waiting for Aubrey to crumble before her eyes_

_She could feel the tension building on the other side of the glass as she laced the fingers of her cuffed hands together and rested them lightly on the metal tabletop. It was easy to be patient when she knew they didn’t have anything and were working against the clock. Bringing her in was just Alice’s way of finally dragging her past local PD in handcuffs like a trophy._

_The door to the interrogation room opened off to the side but she didn’t turn her attention to it. She was sure that Alice was still behind the mirror and she held her blind stare at it until Agent Applebaum settled in the chair across from her with a thick manilla file. He didn’t offer the soft, polite smile he had before as he placed several large color photographs in front of her._

_Aubrey’s gaze flicked over them, taking in the burnt and twisted fiberglass ruin of a yacht. Agent Applebaum didn’t say anything as she looked over the photos. She suspected he was looking just as intently as Alice was, for any crack in her demeanor. She knew what they were, the name Lady Killer was still readable having escaped most of the fire damage._

_“Are these supposed to mean something to me?”_

_“You don’t recognize it?”_

_“Should I?”_

_“Maybe it’ll look more familiar like this.” He pulled another photo out of the stack and placed it in front of her, the boat was whole and undamaged. “How about now?“_

_“Sorry.” The slight shrug of her shoulders as casual and dismissive as her tone. “Never seen it before.”_

_The door slammed open with a rush of air as Alice barreled her way into the interrogation room. The agent across from her gave a soft sigh of weary resignation and leaned back in his chair. The blonde filed that away for later reflection when Agent Esposito slammed an 8x10 glossy on the metal table and shoved it over the other pictures at her._

_“Do you want to rethink that statement, Posen?”_

_Aubrey didn’t flinch at the nearly hysterical smile plastered on Esposito’s face. She held her gaze for a long moment before letting her eyes drift down to take in what was clearly a single frame of a video. It showed Aubrey at the marina boarding Weston’s boat. It wasn’t marina security cam footage; she knew that much just by the angle of it._

_“I want my lawyer.”_

_Triumph shone out of Alice’s eyes and she turned on a heel to leave the room with her chest puffed in pride. Aubrey supposed it was a little victory, but it’d be short lived. Her lawyer was the best of the best and she’d be out of there in time for dinner._

They sat across from each other, she, and Agent Applebaum, just listening to faint buzz from the florescent bulbs above them. It wasn’t uncomfortable for Aubrey in the least but she could tell he had been itching to speak for the last two hours while they waited. Once you invoke your right to an attorney cops stop being so talkative. She assumed it was the same with federal agents. Applebaum must have missed the memo because he leaned forward slightly a wonderous smile on his face.

“How’d you know?” Aubrey raised a brow and he jerked his head back at the mirror. “How’d you know where she was?”

“Magic.”

His grin widened at the comment and she matched his smile. Agent Applebaum practically vibrated with excitement and Aubrey found it oddly endearing considering they were literally on opposite sides of the table.

“I love magic. Did a little sleight of hand in college, myself. But that wasn’t magic…seriously. How’d you know?”

The door slammed open again and Aubrey wondered if Alice was kicking them open from the other side every single time. The woman pulled out a chair and settled in aggressively, then again…everything about Alice Esposito was aggressive. She suspected it was hard for the woman to be in a male dominated field where every move she made was questioned. Every emotion she displayed thrown back in her face as a weakness instead of a passion. Aubrey could relate to that easily enough.

When they had been kids, they’d had the same hot temper and it had made them bitter enemies before they had become friends. Aubrey had been young then and a bully, angry with her mother for leaving them, angrier at her father for doing a nickel in the state pen, angry at having to live in a house that wasn’t her home. Not that she didn’t love her Uncle Franco. She did, and he and his wife had taken her in without a moment’s thought when her dad had gone away.

It had taken her years to learn to make her mind as strong as her body, to hone and focus all that anger into something useful. Alice it seemed, had never outgrown her need to dominate and intimidate. The federal agent made a mock grand gesture to usher the blonde woman behind her into the room. Esposito pulled out a chair and settled into it with an amused grin as she watched the woman following her in juggle an armload of files, a cup of coffee and her briefcase and a half-eaten donut.

Honestly, her attorney was a blundering whirlwind of frenetic energy and she completely understood why Esposito was underestimating her. It was one of the reasons why Aubrey had hired Patricia Hobart, Esq. to represent her in the first place. That and she was frighteningly good at her job and just opportunistic enough to realize a known criminal was a good repeat client.

“Sorry m’late. Was having a little side bar with a judge, if you know what I mean.”

The woman spilled her belongings onto the table and the donut into her mouth before sliding a card to each of the agents sitting there. Alice gave her an incredulous look and snorted, before reading the business card out loud.

“If you’re a friend in need, I’ll be your friend indeed.” Agent Applebaum tucked the card into his pocket but Alice slid hers back across the table dismissively. “Even in the _highly_ unlikely event I would need a lawyer I really can’t see myself going with ‘Fat Amy Legal Services’.”

“Right, let’s see what you got pinched for this time.” Fat Amy didn’t seem particularly bothered by the rejection as she settled in and looked over the list of charges with a keen eye. Her reading paused and she looked up at agents then kept on going, only to turn the page with a long-suffering sigh. “Been a bit busy, haven’t you? Honestly, I should be charging you more.”

“They say I’ve been busy. I say I’m innocent.”

Her lawyer turned to the two agents and shoved the stapled sheets of paper back at them across the table. “You heard my client. She’s innocent.”

“That doesn’t prove she’s innocent.” Alice scoffed and tossed the manilla folder of photos over to Amy. “I have proof that Posen was the last person to see Weston Whitman alive. That makes her guilty in my book.”

“Oh, look at this one. This is nice, lesbihonest it’s got a very gay lady GQ vibe to it.” Amy showed her a still of Aubrey with her hands in her pockets, face turned three quarters away so there was less than half her profile. “Too bad it’s so grainy.”

Amy closed the folder and set it to the side. “This could be anyone, it could be me. Not that it is, mind. Whoever that is seems dodgy to me.”

“Give me a break! It’s a blonde woman in a three-piece suit. Your _client _matches the description perfectly wouldn’t you say? I bet if I go through her closet, I’ll even find the suit. Just a little bit of digging and I bet I can find all kinds of things you thought were buried.”

Alice rose to stand over them, leaning across the table just this side of looming. Agent Applebaum put a calming hand on her wrist and gave a gentle squeeze. Agent Esposito growled and yanked her hand out of his grip. Aubrey watched silently, leaning back in her chair as she pondered all the angles she couldn’t quite see. Amy shrugged at her side, unperturbed by the escalation of Esposito’s energy.

“Maybe. But not without a warrant and even then all you’d have is my client getting on a boat in a very expensive suit.”

“Your client getting on a boat moments before the boat left the marina and was subsequently found on fire.”

Alice’s lips tightened in a predatory smile and she slid a printed report out of a file and held it up just out of reach. Her eyes bored into Aubrey with the shine of maniacal glee and it was more than a little unsettling.

“Did you know that Weston Whitman suffered nine fractures in his hand, six pulled teeth, three cracked ribs, two shattered kneecaps…”

“And a partridge in a pear tree. What does that have to do with me?”

Amy covered her laugh with a snorted throat clearing and a completely unapologetic ‘sorry’. Agent Esposito bristled, her smile frozen and stretched when she forced the next words out from between gritted teeth.

“That’s your trademark isn’t it, going for the knees?”

“What’s the matter Ali-cat, still mad I found your tickle spot?”

“Oh. _Her_.” Amy made a ruminating sound then pushed back from the table and started tossing files into her briefcase. “So that’s it then.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, I’m not done questioning my suspect. I know she’s dirty and she’s going down this time.”

“See that’s the part that’s the cinch, isn’t it? This time? Last time didn’t work out so great for you, did it?” The smile on Agent Esposito’s face faltered and finally withered as Amy pushed her business card back over to her. “Yeah…you might wanna keep this around. For in case. I’ll give you the single white female deal.”

Aubrey stood and buttoned her suit jacket with a smirk. Agent Applebaum rose and held up a hand, half wave and half an attempt to keep her from leaving. She raised her brow at him then looked at her watch. She had just enough time to swing by the shelter and pick Stacie up for the night.

“You have any real questions for me, contact my attorney.”

“I wouldn’t leave town, Posen…”

“That a threat Agent Esposito?”

“A friendly suggestion.”

The blonde gave a delicate snort and walked out of the interrogation room without a backward glance. Something would have to be done about Alice. She wouldn’t stop until she found something, anything to pin on Aubrey. Amy gave her a look as they stepped into the elevator together and waited for the doors to close.

“She’s too close.”

“I know.”

“So, then you know what I’m going to say?” Aubrey gave a nod as she stared at herself in the shiny door as it dinged closed. “Next time it won’t be so easy to walk out of there without answering any questions. She’s probably got a warrant ready to sign on every property you own.”

“She won’t find anything.”

“On you, but what about Stacie?”

Stacie was clean as a whistle. And if she did have anything to hide, she had an army of well-paid lawyers that would knock back any trash Alice could dig up. But why put Stacie through all of that intrusiveness? The doors chimed and slid open as she considered her options. It was clear Alice had more than Aubrey suspected but was it enough to really count against her or was this some kind of game she didn’t understand yet? She needed more information and she knew just the place to start looking.

“We’re taking a trip. I need you to make the arrangements.”

“You sure that’s a good idea right now?”

No, she wasn’t sure it was a great idea at all but she needed to know more. She had to find a way to put the puzzle pieces together and the only way that was going to happen was by asking the right kinds of questions from the wrong kind of people. Aubrey stepped out of the elevator car and turned on a heel to nod at Amy.

“I think it’s about time the Family got to meet my girl, don’t you?”

“The second you’re gone they’ll tear apart every place you’ve got looking for something that will stick.”

She knew that. They wouldn’t find anything but that wasn’t the point. The point would be to cost her time and money repairing or replacing anything they wanted to fuck up. It wasn’t really evidence finding so much as letting Aubrey know they could make her life a living hell.

“Well I don’t know about you but I am feeling very harassed. I think I might have to sue if this behavior continues…”

“Right then. I’d better stop in with the Chief to lodge a complaint.” She chuckled and stepped back into the elevator. Amy paused before hitting the correct floor when Aubrey called her name softly. “Yeah?”

“Quiet complaints get swept under the rug.” Amy immediately put on an angry expression and cleared her throat, preparing for a loud complaint and a whole lot of drama that wouldn’t soon be forgotten. Aubrey chuckled and winked at her. “That’s why I pay you the big bucks.”

“Eh. Could do with a bonus you know.”

The door closed and Aubrey considered it. If Amy got her out of this mess, she’d definitely give her a bonus. She turned and headed out of the doors to the main lobby and stopped in her tracks the second she became aware of what was waiting for her. Lilly, she had been expecting. Stacie and her mother nervously hovering, not so much. For a second she wondered if it might be safer to go back and confess. Stacie closed the distance and wrapped arms around her in a tight hug that Aubrey returned. Nah, there was nothing Alice could ever offer her that would be better than the way Stacie loved her.

“C’mon, let’s go home.”


	10. Stacked Deck

_“You’re really alright?”_

_Stacie smiled and dipped her head in a slight nod. The last few hours of her life had been a rollercoaster of unexpected emotions and events but by far the most unexpected was this. Helene gave her daughter’s arm a gentle squeeze before hesitatingly pulling her into an awkward but heartfelt embrace. It was the first in a long time that actually felt…unscripted._

_“Yeah, I’m fine. Really.” It wasn’t the ideal introduction to her life that she’d wanted for her mother but it was what it was. Stacie shook her head a little and pulled back so she could look her mother in the eye. “We’re going to be fine.”_

_“I wasn’t asking about Aubrey.” There was a decidedly crisp tone there, shattering the tender hope that maybe things might be okay and Stacie felt the muscles in her back tighten in anticipation of what was coming. Her arms dropped away in from the short-lived hug. “Aubrey is not my child. You are.”_

_“No but she’s a part of my life and she’s going to be my wife, mom.” Stacie sighed and shook her head realizing that to continue would only bring a fight she didn’t have the energy for. Especially when all she wanted to do was go home with Aubrey and find out what happened. “You know what…never mind. Thank you for your concern but you don’t need to worry about it.”_

_She started to turn back to get in the car when Helene pulled her back with a desperate grasp. “Wait…”_

_“For what? I know how you feel already.”_

_“No, you do not. That has always been your problem Anastacia, you are so brilliant and observant that you think you know everything! Admittedly, you’re correct an irritating amount of the time but you do not know everything. Don’t presume to know what even I do not.”_

_Helene took a breath and settled her posture in a camera-ready pose. It was a habit so deeply ingrained that she doubted her mother was aware of it. She gave a nod of apology and Helene let the rigidity of her spine relax._

_“I’m sorry. I know you’re worried about me but…”_

_“I don’t have to be. Yes. You’ve said.” The older woman took a step forward and sighed softly. “I came looking for insight into your life. That old adage of be careful what you wish for suddenly rings truer than ever before.”_

_Stacie chuckled and nodded her head. “Yeah. Today was a lot. Thank you for coming with me to the station. It meant a lot to me that you were there. Maybe I don’t know how you feel about things but I know what all this looks like.”_

_Silence swallowed them up as her mom considered her next words. “It looks to me that you care about Aubrey very much.”_

_“I do.”_

_“It also looks like she cares very deeply for your happiness.” Her head came up quickly in question but Helene gave no further explanation as she went on. “Politically speaking this could ruin your father’s career and standing within the party.”_

_“Spoken like the wife of a Senator.”_

_A small smile graced Helene’s face making her eyes soften. “Speaking as a mother…I worry that this life will put you in physical danger.” Stacie’s brows came up and she opened her mouth to speak but Helene raised a hand to stop her from saying what they both already knew. “I know. Perhaps too little, too late. What I am saying is that…I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me. I failed you in many ways Anastacia, I don’t want to fail you again.”_

_Oh. It was hard to hear that, perhaps because she’d always wanted to hear some kind of acknowledgment that her mother ever cared about her at all. She’d been holding on to a resentment knowing this moment would never come, so sure that her mother had given up all real maternal feelings for her the moment the umbilical cord had been cut. And now she didn’t know what to do with the feelings she never thought she’d have to let go. It was going to take her some time to unpack all of that and process it._

_“Can you be happy for me?”_

_It was the only question that actually mattered at the moment. What she needed from her mom wasn’t a protector. Not anymore anyway. What she needed was support. Some kind of affirmation that no matter what her mom would be a part of her life even if some aspects of it caused her to worry._

_“Will it undo our tentative truce if I say I’m trying?”_

_Stacie smiled and wrapped her arms around her mom in a tight hug. It wasn’t a rousing yes, and she didn’t expect it to be. But it was honest and real and that was enough for her. Helene stiffened for a second then retuned the hug with a gentle squeeze. It wasn’t totally okay and they both knew that. Life wasn’t a sitcom where differences were resolved with a heartwarming hug and a cued laugh track. But there was a new understanding between them. Maybe now they could start rebuilding the bridge they burnt down so many years before._

An hour and a half later she was still replaying the conversation in her head. Aubrey unlocked the door and pushed it open before glancing inside and stepping in. Stacie was right on her heels, lost in thought and unprepared for the arm that shot out across her chest to keep her from walking in further. Keen green eyes searched the interior of the entry as she reached to the small of her back and pulled her gun from its holster.

“Stay close.”

Stacie nodded and placed a hand on Aubrey’s back, following her in past the stairs and into the living room. The blonde stopped abruptly with a growl and put her gun away before stepping into the entrance of the large room. Stacie edged behind her fiancée and poked her head around the other woman’s shoulder only to see Detective Mitchell in all her smirky glory lounging on Aubrey’s white leather couch with her motorcycle boots propped up on the glass topped coffee table.

“Hey, Daddy. How was the pokey?”

“I swear to Christ, Mitchell…one of these days I’m going to shoot you. Get your damn feet off my table.”

Detective Mitchell grinned widely and lowered her feet to the ground. “Sorry. You’ll be happy to know that your lawyer filed a restraining order against our department but I don’t know if that will stop the Feds.” Aubrey nodded and moved to the mini bar to pour them all a drink. “Water for me, thanks.”

Stacie and Aubrey looked at each other in surprise then glanced at the small brunette. Aubrey shrugged and grabbed three bottles of water from the mini fridge. Had it been anyone else neither of them would have batted an eye at the request but it was Beca. She never turned down a drink.

“How did Agent Esposito take the news that LAPD is backing off?”

Beca took the water bottle and shrugged. “Well I’m pretty sure she’s possessed cause her head almost started spinning.” She took a sip of her water still smiling at the memory. “But I don’t know, Posen, we’re missing a beat somewhere. I talked to my guy at the Bureau and he seemed to think you’re just some low-level capo. I don’t think they were looking at you seriously.”

While she appreciated the visual, Stacie didn’t think Alice’s tantrum meant anything but more trouble despite Beca’s assessment of the FBI’s interest. Aubrey seemed to think so too because she nodded and settled herself on the couch next to the detective. “She’s like a dog with a bone. She’s not going to let this go if the Feds can really pull together a case.”

Stacie frowned at that as she settled into a chair. “How can they have a case, no one knows anything and Weston is dead.”

Aubrey sighed deeply and leaned forward so her elbows rested on her knees. “They have images of me boarding Whitman’s boat. It’s not enough but it gives them wiggle room to try and find something else.”

She knew there had to be something; they wouldn’t have pulled Aubrey in if there wasn’t. But Stacie hadn’t been prepared for actual hard evidence. It left her struggling to figure out how that fit in with their life and future plans. Detective Mitchell gave a low whistle and shook her head.

“It’s bad yeah, but not the worst. Circumstantial at best and I’ve seen street thugs get out with more on them than that.” There was a bitter edge to Mitchell’s voice as she stood and headed for the door. “I’ll see if I can find out exactly what they have on you. Not that I can do anything about it but at least it gives you a place to start cleaning up.”

“Something bigger is going on, it feels like a stacked deck. Watch your ass, Bec.”

“See, Daddy? I _knew_ you liked me.”

“Gun is still loaded, Mitchell. Call me Daddy one more time and see what happens.”

Stacie watched the detective smirk and make her way to the door in the kitchen to sneak off the property. The second the door shut she turned her gaze on Aubrey. The other woman had a faraway look as she pondered everything she had learned that day. The brunette moved from the chair to straddle her fiancée’s lap.

“You weren’t kidding about what our life could be like.”

Aubrey searched her face for a long time and Stacie suspected she was looking for any sign that this was going to break them. Stacie smiled gently and smoothed the wrinkle of worry in the blonde’s brow. This was new and a little bit scary but it wasn’t even close to changing how she felt about the other woman or any of her plans to get married.

“Ready to run away yet?”

“Only if we’re running away together.”

The thread of tension that had been just under the surface released and Stacie slid her hands under Aubrey’s jacket and over her shoulders to slip it off. Running anywhere wasn’t on her list of things to do, and especially not running away from the only person that she truly felt safe with. There were a lot of unknowns in their life right now but what she did know what an immutable truth. She loved Aubrey Posen with every bit of her being and nothing was ever going to come between them. Not their exes or families, or even the FBI.

“You know you’re quite the woman, Ms. Conrad. Thanks for coming to my rescue today. How’d you know?”

“A tiny birdy with a big mouth.” The corners of Aubrey’s lips quirked in a grin and Stacie couldn’t help but kiss each corner. “You should give her a bonus.”

“Oh yeah? Got any other business ideas?”

“Tons.” Stacie smiled into the kiss Aubrey pulled her into. Warm hands trailed down her back in a promising caress. “We should have the wedding catered by Flo. The food is amazing and the price will be right. It’ll strengthen our business relationship by giving her a foothold to a new client base. And what makes her money, makes you money. Besides my mother loved her food.”

“You know I love it when you have ideas.” Aubrey nipped at her lip playfully, hands gripping her hips to pull Stacie in closer. “Speaking of your mom…that was surprising. How much does she hate me over this?”

“She dropped by the shelter and was there when Beca called. She’s not thrilled, Bree. But. I dunno. I need space from it for a bit. It was a lot.”

Her shoulder came up in a shrug and she leaned forward into Aubrey’s body. There was no pressure to talk about anything, just reassuring acceptance and it meant the world to Stacie. She wasn’t ready yet to sift through her feelings on Helene’s visit. The arms around her tightened comfortingly and she smiled against the soft skin of Aubrey’s neck.

“I think we both need a little space from this whole scene. Maybe we should take a trip back east.”

Stacie sat up and raised a brow in question. Aubrey never did anything without a good reason. “Why back east?”

Aubrey gave a half shrug, trying not to look as nervous as Stacie knew she suddenly was. “I was thinking it was time you met The Family.”

“Wow. Did not see that one coming.”

“I figured I got to meet yours…”

“Is this business family or…”

“A little of both. You’re not just gonna be one of the wives in the family, you’re my partner. I think it’s better they know from the start how it’s going to be from now on. And I have a feeling we’ll find the answers to some of our questions there.”

The confidence was exhilarating, and Stacie found herself inhaling deeply against the rise of arousal. Aubrey wasn’t asking anyone’s permission to include her in the business side of things. Either old school mafiosos had gotten a lot more progressive in their thinking or Aubrey didn’t expect to be challenged in any serious way. Stacie’s eyes narrowed slightly. Everyone had a boss they answered to and she didn’t think for one second that she would be accepted just because Aubrey said so. Unless.

“You’re not just ‘some low-level capo’ like Detective Mitchell’s Bureau buddy thinks, are you?”

Amused pale green eyes rose to meet hers as Aubrey gave her a sinfully cocky smirk. Whatever flimsy control she had over her arousal was battered away by the tidal wave of raw lust that slammed through her. Stacie slid her hand down over the blonde’s chest and pulled the silk tie free from the vest. She stood on legs already shaky with anticipation and tugged lightly to urge Aubrey up.

“I think you should take me to bed now, don’t you?”

Aubrey gave a soft grunt of agreement as she let herself be led by the tie. “Like I said, I _love_ it when you have ideas.”

Later they could figure out everything from wedding plans to avoiding prison, right now however Stacie had more pressing needs.


End file.
